The District of San Miguel

San Miguel is half way between Lima’s city center and Callao, directly at the Pacific Ocean. In pre-Hispanic times the area was populated by different ingenious civilizations. From the 1920s to the 1960s it was a beach, pleasure and entertainment district similar to Miraflores, Barranco and Chorrillos attracting visitors with its amazing scenery, beautiful gardens, picturesque ambience and calmness. Today it’s a middle class residential area. Important economic centers are Av. La Marina, where you find the Plaza San Miguel, Av. Elmer Faucett, the way to Lima’s International Airport and Av. Universitaria, where the famous Pontifical Catholic University of Peru is located.

A highlight of San Miguel is the Parque de las Leyendas (Park of the legends), Lima’s main zoo. But it’s much more than that. It is located amidst a big part of Lima’s most extensive ancient city and is one of the most important pre-Hispanic complexes at the central Peruvian coast called the Archaeological Complex of Maranga. The park successfully manages to combine ecology, archaeology, education and relaxation. Have fun visiting!