According to the 2005 census by the INEI, the district has 262,595 inhabitants, a population density of 6,743.6 persons/km² and 60,353 households.
Attractions
It is famous for its beach resorts at La Herradura, its restaurants, particularly the picanterías. A planetarium is located here, built on the Morro Solar. From Chorrillos, you can also enjoy a panoramic view of the bay of Lima and out to La Punta and the San Lorenzo Island in Callao.
History
The area around the Morro Solar was once a pre-Columbian town known as Armatambo. Following the Spanish conquest of Peru, however, the hillside settlement was abandoned and forgotten, as the Indians began to move down to shore. The resulting town of San Pedro de los Chorrillos was officially established as the District of Chorrillos on January 2, 1857. The district's territory was the setting of important episodes in the War of the Pacific against Chile. The so-called Battle of Chorrillos took place in the fields of San Juan, about away from the town on January 13, 1881; but after the battle, the Chilean soldiers looted, sacked and set fire to the town of Chorrillos, raped the women and killed many civilians, including foreigners, children and women. There is a nameplate inside the Fire Station that remembers the names of the Italian firemen who were executed by a Chilean firing squad for attempting to put out the fires and save the civilian population. From republican times, only a select group of the large old houses have survived, as the majority were destroyed by Chilean invaders. The Chorrillos Military School was opened here in 1898.
The Taekwondo Pan American Champion of Peru, Jean Carlos Gamarra grew up in Chorrillos and founded a Community Taekwondo Program for the impoverished children of "Delicias," a poor neighborhood of the district. His community program has gained the attention of Mayor Augusto Miyashiro and the Federación Deportiva Peruana de Taekwondo in the past.
The Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca is from Chorrillos.
The fisherman José Olaya,, martyr during the struggle for independence and national hero, was born in Chorrillos.
