The Struggle for the Slums of Lima. The Case of Villa el Salvador. Report Presented to the CVR

The history of the popular district of Villa El Salvador represents one of the important chapters of political violence in Peru between 1980 and 2000. A district recognized and celebrated for its organizational level and for the capacity for self-management and participation of its residents in local decision-making, Villa El Salvador became a sort of trophy for armed insurgent groups. Originally the text was published as "Shining Path and the 'Decisive Battle' in Lima's Barriadas: The Case of Villa El Salvador," in Steve Stern, ed., Shining and Other Paths: War and Society in Peru, 1980-1995 (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998), and was later translated and published by the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP) under the title La guerra insólita: Guerra y Sociedad en el Perú, 1980-1995. The same text was used by the Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación. Published on August 24, 2003.