The District of Surquillo

Surquillo is south of the city center, surrounded by upper class districts like Miraflores, San Borja and San Isidro. Anyhow founded as a “barrio” (suburb) for the indios (Indian population) in colonial times and being a working class area in colonial times, Surquillo today is mostly a lower-middle class district. The district is full of small businesses, especially hardware shops, building material supplies and a lot of car parts sellers. Many markets can be found in Surquillo. Worth a visit is the big Surquillo Market, at the border to Miraflores, where you can buy fresh fruits and veggies, meat, fish and everything needed for a good meal.

The surrounding small “tiendas” (shops) offer anything from household items to clothes. Leave all your valuables at home. Although the municipality is trying hard to reduce crime, Surquillo unfortunately is a district with a high crime rate.