Invasion of San Cosme Hill
This was the first major land invasion that initiated the formation of shantytowns around Lima in 1946. It was followed by other invasions such as San Pedro and El Agustino, marking the beginning of a massive process of informal urbanization in the capital.
The invasion of San Cosme hill in 1946 marked the beginning of the process of formation of shantytowns around the city of Lima. This event was followed months later by the invasion of San Pedro and the following year by that of El Agustino, despite strong state repression that would eventually turn into ambiguous tolerance. In 1945, the inauguration of the wholesale market of La Parada generated a new wave of slum formation, being the invasion of the slopes of San Cosme hill the first of this series. This process of invasions and slum formation was fundamental in the demographic and social reconfiguration of Metropolitan Lima during the second half of the 20th century.