The Savior Town District
Distrito de Villa El Salvador (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Villa el Salvador in Lima | |
| Coordinates: 12°3′0″S 77°0′0″W / 12.05000°S 77.00000°W | |
| Country |  Peru |
| Region | Lima |
| Province | Lima |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Capital | Cercado de Villa El Salvador |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Guido Iñigo (2023–2026) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 35.46 km2 (13.69 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 143 m (469 ft) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
| • Total | 441,794 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (PET) |
| UBIGEO | 150142 |
| Website | munives.gob.pe |
The Savior Town District is an urban, largely residential coastal district on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. It borders the district of Chorrillos on the east; the Pacific Ocean on the southwest; Lurín on the southeast; Villa María del Triunfo on the east and San Juan de Miraflores on the north.
History
Villa El Salvador began in 1971 as a squatted pueblo joven (or shanty town) in the vast, empty sand flats to the south of Lima because of the urgent housing needs of immigrant families who had left the sierra of central Peru. A land invasion quickly created a town of 25,000 people. By 2008, it had grown to 350,000 people.[2] Villa El Salvador evolved into a huge urban zone, largely self-organizing, for which it won some fame. Largely through the efforts of its inhabitants, the neighborhood was supplied with electricity, water, and sewage.
Villa El Salvador served as the home base for the activist María Elena Moyano, who helped organize the Federación Popular de Mujeres de Villa El Salvador (Fepomuves), a federation of women, which grew to encompass activities such as public kitchens, health committees, the Vaso de Leche program (which supplied children with milk), income-generating projects, and committees for basic education. Moyano was killed by members of the Shining Path, which used Villa El Salvador as a base in Lima.
Since June 1, 1983, Villa El Salvador has been formally (by law № 23605) established as a district within the Lima Province. In 1987, the community received a Prince of Asturias Award in recognition of its achievements. Villa El Salvador is twinned with Rezé, France and, since 2006, with Tübingen, Germany.
Authorities
Mayors
- 2019–2022: Kevin Íñigo Peralta.
- 2011–2014: Guido Íñigo Peralta.
- 2003–2010: Jaime Zea Usca.
- 1999–2002: Martín Pumar Vílchez.
Festivities
- October: Lord of Miracles
Twin towns
Historical slum photos
Overview of the El Salvador slum, 1975
Slum street, 1975
Sheds in El Salvador, 1975
See also
References
- ↑ "Estadística Poblacional - Ministerio de Salud del Perú".
- ↑ Dosh, Paul (10 April 2008). "Incremental Gains: Lima's Tenacious Squatters' Movement". NACLA. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ↑ "Sister cities - City of Tuebingen".
External links
- (in Spanish) Municipalidad de Villa El Salvador – Villa El Salvador district council official website
- (in Spanish) Amigos de Villa – Association of Friends of Villa El Salvador, Lima - Perú
- (in Spanish) PortalVES – District Portal Villa El Salvador, Lima - Perú