Santa María del Mar | |
|---|---|
 Santa María beach | |
| Nickname: Capri of South America | |
 Location of Santa María del Mar District inLima Province | |
| Coordinates:12°25′S76°47′W / 12.417°S 76.783°W /-12.417; -76.783 | |
| Country |  Peru |
| Region | Lima |
| Province | Lima |
| Founded | January 16, 1962[1][2] |
| Capital | Santa María del Mar |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Alberto Monteverde (2023-2026) |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.81 km2 (3.79 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[3] | |
• Total | 1,251 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (PET) |
| UBIGEO | 150138 |
| Website | Santa María del Mar |
Santa María del Mar is adistrict in southernLima Province inPeru. It is bordered by thePacific Ocean on the west, the district ofSan Bartolo on the north, theChilca District of theCañete Province on the east, and thePucusana District on the south.
It is well known for its beaches and attracts many beachgoers every summer. Many of them also rent apartments during this season, making its population increase considerably. The district has some restaurants and a club with a large seawater swimming pool. The most popular beaches in the district areSanta María (also known asPlaya Grande) andEmbajadores.[4]
The land upon which the district was built was originally known as Curayacu–Poza de Santa María,[1][5] originally an archeological site with remains dating back to the era of theIncan Empire and before. The site was visited by archeologistsFrederic Engel [es], fromSwitzerland, and Bernardino Ojeda, from Peru, in the 1960s. The remains unearthed in the area were estimated to date back to 4,500 years ago and belonging tohunter-gatherer cultures who fished in the area and dried their food in the desert in order to take it to theSierra for thousands of years. Also found in the area wereceramics, now in possession of theCentro de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas (CIZA), and the remains of a rustic temple in the south. These newer findings are alleged to have belonged to theYschma people, which later merged with the Incas. Supporting these claims was the discovery of a cemetery belonging to said culture during construction work in Embajadores beach. A protected area by theMinistry of Culture now exists known asSector A.[6]
After the success of theChileanland campaign inTacna andArica during theWar of the Pacific, theChilean Army launchedanother land campaign in December 1880 in order to takeLima. Once the Chilean troops reachedPisco, GeneralManuel Baquedano split his troops into two groups: one part headed forLurín Valley, and the other would continue north toward Lima. The latter reached Curayacu on December 24 of the same year, establishing a campsite in the Santa María area the day after and later leaving for Lurín. This was accomplished due to the Peruvians' lack of knowledge of the area, which the Chileans took advantage of. As a result, over 19,000 soldiers disembarked on Embajadores beach.[7][8]
In the decades following the war, the area of Santa María—then part ofChilca—became known as thecaletita used by the Chileans to reach Lima, being described as such inGermán Stiglich's [es] 1922Geographic Dictionary of Peru.[9] The name given to thecaleta by local fishermen as a result of the association to the 1880 landing, "Caleta de los chilenos" (Caleta of the Chileans), wasbastardised into "Caleta de los chilcanos" (Caleta of the Chilca locals).[8]
The area, by now part ofSan Bartolo District, was the focus of twoconcessions, with the first one taking place on January 30, 1943, granted by theMinistry of the Navy to Luis Debernardi Dávila for 10 years, concerning what was known as a 25ha area inPosa de Santa María beach to be used forfish farming. The second took place on June 13, 1943, granted by theMinistry of Development to architectFernando Belaúnde Terry in order to establish abalneario in the area.[1][10] both concessions were transferred to Elías and Eugelio Fernandini Clotet on October 18, 1945, with one being reworked to include the development of ayacht club and the use of the beaches to promote fishing andmaritime sports.[10]
In 1950, Elías Fernandini brought apineseed fromFrance and planted it in the entrance of the district (it later died in late 2022). The species (A. excelsa) is native toNorfolk Island and over 400 trees of the same type adorn the district.[11] 8 years later,Walter Weberhofer, a Peruvian architect of Austrian descent won a contest to begin the development of a yacht club, which later came to be known asClub Esmeralda. Weberhofer's work was later called by theAmericanNational Association of Home Builders as the "Capri of South America".[12]
The area soon became the birthplace of the localjet set culture, with locals from Lima visiting or establishing themselves in the district. International visitors were also attracted, with visitors that included thenPrince of Spain,Juan Carlos I.[13]
The district's first mayor was Aurelio Yrigoyen Rodrigo, whose tenure started in 1962. He was succeeded by 5 other mayors up until 2011, and 3 more since then.[5][14]
In 2020, a bust ofMiguel Grau and thenautical chart of Santa María was unveiled in the district.[8] In 2021, a 6 × 1.6 cm Chilean Bachmann-type cartridge dating back to the War of the Pacific was found in Embajadores beach.[7]
On September 28, 2023, theCongress of Peru was awarded a 35,133.05m2 terrain by the National Superintendence of State Assets on the district, to be used as a "Parliamentary Training and Studies Centre" at a total cost of overS/. 17 million and an estimated completion date of December 31, 2025. The news of the high-end facility's intended features and cost, as well as possible damages to theInca road system, attracted criticism from a number of congressmen and the press.[15]
