Surco River
| Surco River | |
|---|---|
_(20260809).jpg) View of the river in San Borja | |
Interactive map of Surco River | |
| Location | Lima |
| Country | Peru |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 29.5 km (18.3 miles) |
| History | |
Date of first use | 1st century |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Rímac River |
| End point | Pacific Ocean |
| Branch of | Rímac River |
Official name | Canal de Surco – Segmento 3 |
| Type | Immobable tangible |
| Designated | March 20, 2019 |
Legal basis | R.V. Nº 041-2019-VMPCIC-MC |
The Surco River (Spanish: Río Surco), also known as the Surco Canal (Spanish: Canal Surco),[1] is a pre-Columbian irrigation canal in Lima, Peru. It originates from the Rímac River, in the districts of El Agustino and Ate, runs through 17 districts, notably San Borja, Santiago de Surco and Chorrillos,[2] and flows into the Pacific Ocean, at La Chira beach, in the district of Chorrillos.
First used by the Lima culture during the 1st century, the 29.2-kilometre (18.1 mi) canal is the longest in the city of Lima and irrigates a large part of it, passing through 12 districts. Alongside the Huatica, it is one of two pre-Incan aqueducts that continue to be fully operational to date.[3] It is part of the Cultural heritage of Peru.[4]
Name
The canal's name is pre-Columbian in origin, known by the Ichma as Sulco.[5] This name was also given to their chieftainship based in Armatambo, located next to the Morro Solar and today an archaeological site. The change in the name's pronunciation followed the death of Antonio del Solar, Sulco's first Spanish encomendero.[6] Despite it being a man-made stream, it is commonly called a river.[5]
History
The aqueduct was used as an irrigation canal by the Lima, a civilisation that preceded the Inca Empire, since the 1st century.[1][7] In 1535, Spanish chroniclers described the area as filled with "countless rivers," in reality man-made canals.[8] With a total length of 29.2 kilometres (18.1 mi), it is the longest in the city.[1][9]
The water from the canal has since been used, in large part, to irrigate the numerous green areas of Lima (parks, gardens, roundabouts and central medians).[7] The canal originally fed the Pantanos de Villa wetlands, but hasty construction in the area led to the changing of its course.[10] In the 1800s, it was used as a gutter following a yellow fever outbreak.[3]
Its high flow caused flooding in some areas of Chorrillos in the 2010s.[11][12][13][14] In 2014, the construction of a treatment plant was planned to cover drinking water in human settlements.[15]
Following calls to designate both the Surco and the Huatica (another pre-Columbian canal),[7][16] the part of the Surco that flows through San Borja was declared part of the Cultural heritage of Peru.[4]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Lizarzaburu, Javier (2012-01-08). "Los canales que hicieron posible la vida en Lima". El Comercio. Archived from the original on 2017-06-17.
- ↑ "Recuperarán tramo del río Surco". Diario UNO. 2016-06-18. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
- 1 2 Pilares, Angel Hugo (2017-08-15). "Río Surco: 10 datos sobre la "acequia" que Chorrillos quiere clausurar". El Comercio.
- 1 2 "Declaran Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación al Paisaje Arqueológico "Canal de Surco-Segmento 3"". El Peruano. 2019-03-20.
- 1 2 Nidia Cajas (reporter), Miguel Albites (camera), Néstor García R. (editor) (2023-11-26). Historia de los nombres de los distritos de Lima (Television production). Reporte Semanal (in Spanish). Latina Televisión – via YouTube.
- ↑ Tolentino, Scheila (2023-10-18). "Santiago de Surco: ¿qué significa el nombre de este distrito de Lima y cuál es su historia?". La República.
- 1 2 3 Haigh, John (2016-06-20). "Call for National Heritage status for Rio Surco". Peru this Week. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
- ↑ Ayma, Diego (2016-01-14). "Los canales prehispánicos aún irrigan Lima". Correo.
- ↑ "Canales de irrigación". Municipalidad de Lima. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
- ↑ Maeshiro, Akira (2018-07-16). "La vitalidad de Lima a través de sus canales". Punto Edu.
- ↑ Meléndez, Pedro (2016-08-21). "Vecinos exigen la canalización de río Surco". Correo. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
- ↑ "Chorrillos: desborde del río Surco inunda varias viviendas". El Comercio. 2016-08-07. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08.
- ↑ "Chorrillos: 200 familias afectadas por el desborde del río Surco". Perú 21. 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Desborde del río Surco inundó varias viviendas en Chorrillos". La República. 2016-08-07.
- ↑ Neyra Obregón, Luis (2014-01-17). "Más que sólo reciclaje: así será complejo ecológico de Surco". Terra. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
- ↑ "San Borja ejecutará proyecto Corredor Verde para poner en valor Canal de Surco". Andina. 2016-06-17.