During the
Viceroyalty of Peru, when the first land distribution was made, the Huallas region was awarded to Nicolás de Ribera y Laredo, founder of the City of Kings (
Lima) and the Lima City Council . In 1560, Antonio de Ribera, attorney general, mayor, and field marshal to Gonzalo Pizarro , brought the first olive trees that gave rise to the El Olivar Grove. This estate, before taking the name of its owner, the Count of San Isidro , who acquired it in 1777, bore the names of its previous owners, including Martín Morón, Pedro de Olavarrieta, Tomás de Zumarán, and Antonio del Villar. Its last colonial owner was Isidro de Cortázar y Abarca , Count of San Isidro and the first ordinary mayor of Lima. In 1853, it passed into the hands of José Gregorio Paz Soldán , and finally, into the hands of the Moreyra and Paz Soldán family.
20th century In 1920, the San Isidro Limited Urban Development Company was formed, entrusting the urbanization project to the sculptor and urban planner, Manuel Piqueras Cotolí, who conceived a varied and irregular plan with the aim of creating a picturesque neighborhood. He also hoped it would present an architectural appearance of some unity and character. Following a process of urban development during the 1980s and 1990s, the district became the financial center of the city of Lima, and one of its most dynamic districts. In 1996,
Arcos Dorados SA registered in the country, inaugurating its first
McDonald's restaurant in the district on October 18 of the same year. Operating through Unimak, a company headed by businessman Roberto Lukac, it soon began opening more restaurants, with its second location opening soon after at
Chacarilla del Estanque. Following a raid in the Japanese ambassador's residence in the district by 14 members of the
Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement in December 1996, the district was sent into the international spotlight due to what became known as the
Japanese embassy hostage crisis. The 126-day siege concluded on April 22, 1997, through
Operation Chavín de Huántar, a military action undertaken by the
military unit of the same name.
21st century In March 2004, the 'Promenade of Nations'—a promenade lined with national flags—was inaugurated at Pershing Avenue. == Geography ==