The Hippodrome of Santa Beatriz () was a

hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

located in

Jesús María District, Lima Jesús María is one of the most centrally located districts of Lima, Peru. It is an upper class, high-density district and it usually ranks in the top districts with the best quality of life in Peru with an HDI of 0.8372 (2019), only behind the ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. Now almost completely demolished, its former premises are now occupied by El Campo de Marte.

History

The concession for a 99-year

emphyteusis (Greek, 'implanting') or emphyteutic lease is a contract for land that allows the holder the right to the enjoyment of a property, often in perpetuity, on condition of proper care, payment of tax and rent. This type of real estate contract speci ...

was granted by the

Municipality of Lima The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima () is the local government entity of the Lima Province and Lima District. It is the only provincial municipality of special regime with faculties of regional government. It is established according to the 20 ...

in the

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representativ ...

(''fundo'') of the same name at the request of the Lima Jockey Club (LJC) during the late 19th century, in exchange for some territory owned by the club in downtown Lima. The

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

racecourse was then inaugurated in July of 1903 under the tenure of Alfredo Benavides Diez-Canseco (then president of the LJC), operating until 1938, with its golden age coinciding with the Centennial of the Independence of Peru (and that of the

Battle of Ayacucho The Battle of Ayacucho (, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of belligerent South American states. In Peru it is conside ...

), from 1921 to 1924. The

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

held in 1903 featured important guests, such as mayor

Federico Elguera Federico Elguera Seminario (1860–1928) was a Peruvian politician in the early 20th century. Elguera was born in Lima on 1 June 1860. He was the mayor of Lima from 1901 to 1908 and List of ambassadors of Peru to Bolivia, Ambassador to Bolivia fr ...

, who delivered a speech to the packed tribunes, and María Diez Canseco de Benavides (the "godmother" of the ceremony), who broke a Champagne bottle with a hammer to baptise the building as part of the event. Also attending was the

diplomatic corps The diplomatic corps () is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body. The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission ( ambassadors, high commis ...

resident in Lima, as well as other government officials. On 30 April 1933, Peruvian President

Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro (August 12, 1889 – April 30, 1933) was a high-ranking Peruvian army officer, revolutionary, nationalist and politician who served as the 41st President of Peru, from 1931 to 1933 as well as Interim President of P ...

was shot dead in the racetrack while reviewing troops from the

Peruvian Army The Peruvian Army (, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in s ...

; 15 days later, his successor,

Óscar Benavides Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of English and Irish origin. Etymology The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, ''os'', means "deer"; the second element, ''car'', means "loving" or "friend", thus "deer-loving one" or "f ...

, met with the head of the

Colombian Liberal Party The Colombian Liberal Party (; PLC) is a centre to centre-left political party in Colombia. It was founded as a classical liberal party but later developed a more social-democratic tradition, joining the Socialist International in 1999. Th ...

Alfonso López Pumarejo Alfonso López Pumarejo (31 January 1886 – 20 November 1959) was a Colombian political figure, who twice served as President of Colombia, as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He served as President of Colombia from 1934 to 1938 and aga ...

, to secure an agreement to turn Leticia over to a

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

commission, ending the

Colombia–Peru War The Colombia–Peru War, also called the Leticia War, was a short-lived armed conflict between Colombia and Peru over territory in the Amazon rainforest that lasted from September 1, 1932, to May 24, 1933. In the end, an agreement was reached to ...

. After president Augusto B. Leguía—who had granted territory to the racecourse during his presidency—was ousted from power, the 2,400 m racetrack was reduced to its original 1,600 m length. The city's growth determined the racecourse's fate, with , then president of the LJC, managing to reach a deal with then president

Óscar R. Benavides Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea (March 15, 1876 – July 2, 1945) was a Peruvian field marshal, diplomat, and politician who served as the 38th (1914–1915, by coup d'état) and 42nd (1933–1939) President of Peru, with his latter term being ...

, where a new racecourse would occupy another territory under the terms of the original lease, while the territories granted for the first hippodrome's construction would be returned to the club. The terrain chosen for the new racetrack was located next to Salaverry Avenue, where the Hipódromo de San Felipe was built in the ''fundo'' of the same name.

References

{{coord missing, Peru Horse racing venues in Peru History of Lima Historicist architecture Jesús María District, Lima

History

See also

References