Jirón Huancavelica

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jirón Huancavelica is a main street in Lima’s historic center, within the Damero de Pizarro. It runs from the intersection with Jirón de la Unión to Jirón Ramón Cárcano. The street’s layout was planned by Francisco Pizarro when he founded Lima on January 18, 1535.

From the late 1500s, a Corral de comedias (a theatre) stood there. The first venue was built in 1615 but was destroyed by the 1746 earthquake. It was rebuilt and today is known as the Segura Theatre.

Local tradition tells of an Angolan slave who painted a crucified Jesus image in 1651 in the Pachacamilla area where the street runs. An earthquake soon afterward ruined the house, and in 1660 Andrés de León built a small chapel for veneration. The Lima church authorities ordered its destruction, and the site was later bought by Sebastián de Antuñano y Rivas, who erected a temple for the Holy Christ of Miracles.

In 1730 the Sanctuary and Monastery of Las Nazarenas began as a church, rebuilt after the 1746 earthquake, and today it houses the cult of the Lord of Miracles.

In 1821, José de San Martín proclaimed Peru’s independence in the Plazoleta de la Merced, located on the street’s first block.

In 1862, the street was renamed Jirón Huancavelica, after the Department of Huancavelica. Before this change, each block had its own name. By the end of the 19th century, the street hosted the home of Miguel Grau, who died in the War of the Pacific.

In 1923 the Edificio Santo Toribio was built at the intersection with Jirón Rufino Torrico by Fred T. Ley & Cía, an American company. This three-story building was part of archdiocese efforts in the 1920s to support church activities.