Barranco District

The Monumental Zone of Barranco (Zona Monumental de Barranco) is the designation under which most of the district is administered under a special regime that protects the monumental heritage located in the district. The area, alongside its monuments, forms part of the cultural heritage of Peru.

• Name — Barranco • Type — District • Shield Size — 50 • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Type1 — Department • Subdivision Name1 — Lima • Subdivision Type2 — Province • Subdivision Name2 — Lima • Parts Type — Subdivisions • Parts Style — para • P1 — 1 populated centre • Established Title — Founded • Established Date — 26 October 1874 • Seat Type — Capital • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Jessica Vargas • Unit Pref — Metric • Area Total Km2 — 3.33 • Population Total — 37,525 • Population As Of — 2023 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Time Zone1 — PET • Utc Offset1 — -5 • Custom Label Sec1 — UBIGEO • Custom Data Sec1 — 150104 • Website — munibarranco.gob.pe

The name Barranco is Spanish for "ravine". Barranco has two ravines; one in the north where Armendariz Avenue is situated between Miraflores District and Barranco, and one near the central part, the Bajada de los Baños.

San José de Surco was founded on 26 October 1874, with the Hermitage of Barranco chosen as its capital. The hermitage's location is traditionally considered the origin of the district, with an 18th-century legend claiming that two Indian fishermen who had become lost at sea managed to find their way to the shore through a light cast by a cross located on the site. In the 19th century, it was a very fashionable beach resort for the local upper-class (also known as the aristocracy), alongside neighbouring Chorrillos. The district was officially renamed from "San José de Surco" to "Barranco" through Law Decree No. 19001 of October 19, 1971. During the 2010s and 2020s, many high rises and other projects began to be built in Barranco as a result of urban renewal, replacing a number of the district's traditional buildings.

Barranco is under the jurisdiction of its own district municipality, as well as that of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima.

Since 2023, the incumbent mayor is Jessica Vargas. • № — Mayor — Party — Term • Begin — End • 1 — Pedro Bustamante y García • 2 — Francisco García Monterroso • 3 — Benito Bregante • 4 — Alberto Lajon • 5 — Baldomero Prado de Zela (interim) —? —? • 6 — José Tiravanti (interim) —? —? • 7 — Manuel Checa (interim) —? —? • 8 — Juan Francisco Pazos Monasis • 9 — José Cornejo • 10 — Pedro Elguera • 11 — Pedro Solari • 12 — Pedro Swayne – José Mendoza • 13 — Pedro Heraud • 14 — Juan Francisco Pazos Varela • 15 — Aurelio Souza • 16 — Pedro de Osma y Pardo • 17 — Catalina Miranda • 18 — Pedro de Osma Gildemeister • 19 — Cesar Morelli • 20 — Enrique de las Casas • 21 — Pedro Martinto • 22 — Ignacio Brandariz • 23 — César Contreras • 24 — Enrique A. Coloma • 25 — Tomás A. Valeza • 26 — Germán Noriega del Valle • 27 — Manuel Montero Bernales • 28 — Javier Lanfranco • 29 — Luís Brambilla Tosso • 30 — Leopoldo Luna Ferrecio • 31 — Alfonso Ballón Elguera • 32 — Jorge Souza Miranda, Jr • 33 — Estuardo Núñez Hague • 34 — Manuel Campodónico Quevedo • 35 — Fernando Giuffa Fontanes • 36 — Jorge Rocha Arnao — AP–DC • 37 — Héctor Vega León — AP–DC • 38 — Tomas Paso Valles • 39 — Carlos Varela Morales • 40 — Renato Lectora Ginetti • 41 — Emilio Gordillo Angulo • 42 — Miguel Lora Arbulú • 43 — Nicodemes Montalván Prado — Acción Popular • 44 — Jorge del Castillo Gálvez — APRA • 45 — Danilo Delgado Bedoya • 46 — Pedro Allemant Centeno — APRA • 47 — Renato Lectora Ginetti — FREDEMO • 48 — Carlos Gálvez Martínez — OBRAS • 49 — Mario Zolezzi • 50 — Francisco Silva Checa — Somos Lima • 51 — Josefina Estrada de Capriata — Somos Perú • 52 — Martín del Pomar — Unidad Nacional • 53 — Antonio Mezarina — Restauración Nacional • 54 — Jessica Vargas Gómez — PPC • 55 — Antonio Mezarina — APP • 56 — José Rodríguez Cárdenas — Siempre Unidos • 57 — Jessica Vargas Gómez — Renovación Popular — Incumbent

The district's central area is a designated Monumental Zone since 1972. Barranco is the site of a lone populated centre that is coterminous with the district: • Code — Name — Region Type — Altitude (MSL) — Population (total) — Housing (total) • 0001 — Barranco — Chala — 97 — 34,378 (2017) — 13,509 (2017)

As of 2025, Barranco is twinned with the following places: • United States Oakland County, Michigan • Spain Jun, Granada

Barranco is part of the country's Chala region. It is also part of Lima's Cono Centro, an unofficial subregion of the city.

The district is bordered to the north by Miraflores, to the east by Santiago de Surco, to the south by Chorrillos District and to the west by the Pacific Ocean.

The cliffs of Chorrillos shield Barranco from colder and more humid winds coming from the South. As a result, Barranco has a micro-climate that is warmer and drier than many of the other districts of Lima, which are generally more humid, especially between May and October.

In 2017, the district's population was numbered at 34,378 people.

• María Isabel Granda Larco (1920–1983), singer-songwriter and composer, better known as Chabuca Granda. • Maria Isabel Sanchez-Concha (1889–1977), pioneer film maker.

Barranco is commonly referred to as the city's foremost bohemian and artistic district, with a pedestrian-friendly layout and a historical tie to many of the country's best-known artists, such as singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda, poet Martín Adán, and writer Mario Vargas Llosa. A popular Spanish proverb (quien va a Sevilla pierde su silla) has a local variant that refers to the district (El que se fue a Barranco, perdió su banco).

The Monumental Zone of Barranco is the designation under which a large part of the district has been administered since 1972, in which a number of buildings have been granted UNESCO's blue shield since 2024. Barranco has many houses in the colonial and Republican style (called "casonas"), flower-filled parks and streets, and appealing beachfront areas. A number of high-rise buildings have been constructed in areas surrounding the district's historic quarter, near the district's limits with Miraflores and Santiago de Surco. • Landmarks included in the Monumental Zone • Name — Location — Notes — Photo • Alameda Sáenz Peña — Tree-lined avenue surrounded by a number of 19th-century and early to mid-20th century buildings. An obelisk dedicated to José de San Martín sits at its intersection with San Martín Avenue, and a statue of Mafalda is found at its end near a coastal viewpoint. It is named after Argentine politician Roque Sáenz Peña, who fought for Peru during the War of the Pacific. — • Avenida Almirante Miguel Grau — Named after Peruvian admiral Miguel Grau, it serves as one of the district's main avenues, connecting it with Miraflores and passing through its central park and merging with Francisco Bolognesi Avenue two blocks to the park's south. — • Avenida Pedro de Osma — One of the main avenues of the district. It begins next to Municipal Park and continues into Chorrillos District. A transit line of the former cable car system crosses its western side. — • Bajada de los Baños — Pedestrian promenade that connects the central part of the district with a footpath that descends towards a beach on the other side of the coast's highway. — • Biblioteca Municipal Manuel Beingolea — Municipal Park — Manuel Beingolea Municipal Library was inaugurated on October 1, 1922, under the mayoralty of Enrique de las Casas and during the presidency of Augusto B. Leguía. It was initially inaugurated on the left part of its current premises, moving to Fraternity Park in 1958 and moving to its current building in 1966, forming part of the cultural heritage of Peru. It was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. — • Casa Dasso — Av. Sáenz Peña — Private residence dating back to the early 20th century. It is an integral part of Sáenz Peña Avenue's monumental axis. — • Casa De la Puente Wiese — Alameda Sáenz Peña — Built between 1915 and 1920 in an eclectic style as a residence. It also features neo-Moorish and neo-Gothic ornaments in its façade. It currently functions as a contemporary art gallery. It was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. • Casa Ferrand Zavala — Jirón Cajamarca — Private residence built in 1911 using adobe and wood. It has since been preserved as a representative building of its time period, and was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. • Casa Miró Quesada — Al. Sáenz Peña & Av. San Martín — The building dates back to 1914, and was designed by French architect Claude Sahut. It currently operates as the Hotel B, a boutique hotel. It is an integral part of Sáenz Peña Avenue's monumental axis, giving the avenue its historic character. It was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. — • Casa Piselli — Jr. 28 de Julio & Melgar — Corner building dating back to 1923, built using adobe and wood. It is currently used by García Bustamante, a law firm after which it is also named. It was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. • Casa República — Av. Sáenz Peña 208 — Built in 1915 and designed by architect Enrique Bianchi, with Moorish and Art Nouveau influences. It was restored in 2009, and currently functions as a hotel and restaurant. It was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. — • Casa Rosell-Ríos — Av. Grau 426-428-430 — Private residence built between 1909 and 1912 as a summer home for the family of the same name and designed by French architect H. Ratouin (who was possibly assisted by Hugo Behr and Francisco Alva). — • Casa Solari de Checa — Av. Sáenz Peña 136 & Av. San Martín — Private residence commissioned by María Luisa Solari de Checa as her residence and built by Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski in a Republican style. It was donated to Spain in the 1920s, whose government has since used the building as its ambassadorial residence. — • Casa Zegarra — Jirón Martínez de Pinillos & Pasaje Tacna — Building designed by Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski dating back to 1923, combining neo-classical, Victorian and Art Nouveau styles. Originally built as a residence, it currently houses a boutique hotel. It was given UNESCO's blue shield in 2025. • Iglesia La Ermita de Barranco — Plazuela Chabuca Granda — Catholic church building that once served as the district's capital and cathedral, next to the Bridge of Sighs, and has been closed since 1974 due to the damages caused by that year's earthquake. — • Mirador Catalina Recavarren — Bajada de los Baños — Scenic viewpoint located at the end of La Ermita street. It was built in late 1898 under the administration of Mayor Pedro Allemant Centeno (1896–1899). It is immediately surrounded by traditional buildings, which house restaurants and bed and breakfast establishments. — • Municipalidad de Barranco — Municipal park — Administrative headquarters of the district's municipal government. A mural dedicated to singer Chabuca Granda is located to its side, which faces the road that descends toward the Bridge of Sighs. — • Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima — Av. Grau 511 — Art museum dedicated to contemporary art designed by Peruvian architect Frederick Cooper Llosa, and built on land donated by the Municipality. It is run as a private non-profit organization. — • Pedro de Osma Museum — Av. Pedro de Osma 421 — The former residence of Pedro and Angélica de Osma Gildemeister, it currently functions as a museum with a permanente Viceregal collection in display. It received UNESCO's blue shield in 2024. — • Parque Municipal de Barranco — The district's central park was inaugurated on February 13, 1898, by then mayor Pedro Solari. A fountain with a naiad's sculpture was installed in 1906, and the park was completely remodelled in 1943, giving the public space its current appearance. The district's municipal library, municipal building, and church all surround the park. — • Parroquia La Santísima Cruz — Municipal Park — The damage suffered by the Hermitage of Barranco due to the an earthquake led to a request reaching the city's archbishop, requesting his authorisation to build a new church. This was granted in 1942, with construction works starting in 1944 before being ultimately consecrated by Juan Landázuri Ricketts on June 1, 1963, in a ceremony attended by the church's patrons, siblings Pedro and Angélica de Osma Gildemeister. — • Plazuela Chabuca Granda — Public space named after Chabuca Granda, a 20th-century singer whose works have since been designated part of the Cultural heritage of Peru. It is connected to the other side of the Bajada de los Bajos by the Bridge of Sighs. It houses the district's Hermitage Church, and a monument to Granda and José Antonio de Lavalle y García, a friend of her father who inspired a song named after him. Granda also wrote a song dedicated to the bridge, among other works. — • Puente de los Suspiros — Bajada de los Baños — The Bridge of Sighs receives its name from its the popular tradition that indicated the place as a meeting point for romanctic couples. It dates back to 1876, having been rebuilt after its destruction by Chilean troops in 1881, who occupied the area during the War of the Pacific. — It addition to the landmarks above, Barranco also has a number of beaches (Los Yuyos, Las Cascadas, Los Pavos, Barranquito, and Las Sombrillas). A marina opened in 2008.

The district's Pedro de Osma Avenue is served by a scenic tramway route, once part of the broader system that once serviced the whole city and its surroundings. Francisco Bolognesi Avenue is served by a route of the Metropolitano bus system.