Barranco District

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. ==History==

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. ==Politics==

Barranco is under the jurisdiction of its own district municipality, as well as that of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima. List of mayors Since 2023, the incumbent mayor is Jessica Vargas. }? Subdivisions 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: Twin cities As of 2025, Barranco is twinned with the following places: • Oakland County, Michigan • Jun, Granada ==Geography==

Climate 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. ==Culture==

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 ('''') has a local variant that refers to the district (). Landmarks 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. 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. ==Transport==

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. ==Notable people==

• Maria Isabel Sanchez-Concha (1889–1977), pioneer film maker. == See also ==