Santiago de Surco - History

History

The Santiago de Surco area was already populated before Inca times. During the Viceroyalty of Peru, Surco became a vacation spot for the wealthy. Back in those times, Surco comprised not only its current territory but also the area of present-day Barranco, Chorrillos, and other areas.

One of the biggest attractions of Surco is the old Church San Juan Grande, which is currently under reconstruction. In earlier years this church remained unwatched and with no care from the municipality of Surco and was inhabitated by locals in poverty.

It is said that this old church was communicated to the Santiago Apostol Cathedral a few miles from there in old Surco by a sort of underground passages built by the Jesuits to be used in case of war or danger. What is a fact is the old skulls and little babies bones found by curious people who walked in the catacums.

This church was built by the Jesuit order in 1752, using adobe, canes, stones and wood only. The Jesuit order was expelled in 1767 from all the Spanish territories due to disagreements with the Spanish monarch Carlos III and then after their properties were confiscated. Thus this place was abandoned. Thereafter, this land was sold in an auction. As a matter of fact, this land was divided into two pieces. A large (grande)parcels and a small one. Then, the church took its name from the large parcel, which was grande in Spanish.

This house-property was used as a shelter for Cáceres' troops in times of war. Caceres didn't know from where the Chilean troops, which just arrived from Chile a few hours earlier in Conchan, could attack the city. So he used the help of a little person. There was an immense pine tree of more than 300 years of age back in the patio that divided the church from the house-property, but even though it fell broken in January 2001, It still remains unbroken in the memory of many surcanos as a silent witness of what happened that time. Julio, the little kid, became a hero at the age of 13 and during the San Juan y Miraflores battle by immolating for the sake of the mother country. The little kid hero, Julio César Escobar, climbed up to the top of the pinetree to be a watch and warn Caceres about the Chilean troops approach. When Julio saw the Chileans, he was to high already to climb down to warn about the Chilean troops' presence on time. The Peruvian troops had to flee through the shooting that had already begun and Julio did not have enough time to run away. Unfortunately, the patriots were defeated and the kid hero was shot dead close-by the immense pinetree.

Then, this church was sacked and burnt by the Chilean troops. Later on, the church was converted in a stable by the Chileans. This extract was translated by Daniel David Delgado Torrejon.

The district of Santiago de Surco was created by Law 6644 on December 16, 1929 out of the Barranco District.