Pueblos jóvenes
Encyclopedia
Pueblos jóvenes (ˈpweβlos ˈxoβenes, "young towns") is the nickname given to the vast shanty town
s that surround Lima
and other cities of Peru
. Many of these towns have developed into significant districts in Lima such as Villa El Salvador
and Comas.
, Amerindian
, and mestizo
campesinos
who since the 1940s have migrated in great waves from Peru's countryside in search of economic opportunity, turning Lima into the fifth-largest city in the Americas.
Most of them also came in order to escape terrorism during the decade of the 80's.
, and other basic services although electricity is usually available on a pirated DIY basis. In both appearance and culture, they are similar to the favela
s of Brazil
and other Latin America
n cities. Crime
is rampant.
Water delivery or services to these parts of Lima costs between 6 and ten times as much as it does in affluent parts of Lima such as San Isidro or Miraflores
.
Work to improve life in these areas is carried on by organisations such as the NGO Asociacion SOLAC
and the theatre group Vichama
.
(APRA), the Socialist Party of Peru
, or political candidates. Some still bear the logo of now convicted three-term president Alberto Fujimori
, sometimes because the resident hasn't had the time or money to repaint their dwelling, sometimes because they still support Fujimori.
President Alejandro Toledo
, Fujimori's successor, pushed through various initiatives to encourage peasants to return to the farming and mining communities whence they came, but they have not been effective.
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
s that surround Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
and other cities of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Many of these towns have developed into significant districts in Lima such as Villa El Salvador
Villa El Salvador
Villa El Salvador is an urban, largely residential district on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. It borders the district of Chorrillos on the east; the Pacific Ocean on the southwest; Lurín on the southeast; Villa María del Triunfo on the east and San Juan de Miraflores on the north.- History :It began...
and Comas.
Population
They are populated almost exclusively by BlackBlack
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, Amerindian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, and mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
campesinos
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
who since the 1940s have migrated in great waves from Peru's countryside in search of economic opportunity, turning Lima into the fifth-largest city in the Americas.
Most of them also came in order to escape terrorism during the decade of the 80's.
Living conditions
The towns are composed of poorly-constructed shacks which generally lack running waterWater
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, and other basic services although electricity is usually available on a pirated DIY basis. In both appearance and culture, they are similar to the favela
Favela
A favela is the generally used term for a shanty town in Brazil. In the late 18th century, the first settlements were called bairros africanos . This was the place where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work lived. Over the years, many freed black slaves moved in...
s of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and other Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n cities. Crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
is rampant.
Water delivery or services to these parts of Lima costs between 6 and ten times as much as it does in affluent parts of Lima such as San Isidro or Miraflores
Miraflores District, Lima
Miraflores is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Known for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks and beaches, it is one of the upscale districts that make up the city of Lima....
.
Work to improve life in these areas is carried on by organisations such as the NGO Asociacion SOLAC
Asociacion SOLAC
Asociación SOLAC, a Peruvian non-profit organization, was founded in 2003 by students of the Universidad Catolica de Lima and has grown to include a cooperative membership of scholars and students from the United States and Peru...
and the theatre group Vichama
Vichama
In Inca mythology, Vichama is the god of death and the son of Inti. His mother was murdered by his half-brother Pacha Kamaq, and he took revenge by turning the humans who were created by Pachacamac into rocks and islands...
.
Politics
Many of the dwellings are painted with the colors of the American Popular Revolutionary AllianceAmerican Popular Revolutionary Alliance
The Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana is a centre-left Peruvian political party.At the legislative elections held on 9 April 2006, the party won 22.6% of the popular vote and 36 out of 120 seats in the Congress of the Republic...
(APRA), the Socialist Party of Peru
Socialist Party of Peru
Socialist Party of Peru is a political party in Peru. It was founded in 1930 by Luciano Castillo Colonna, through a split in the Peruvian Communist Party....
, or political candidates. Some still bear the logo of now convicted three-term president Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with the creation of Fujimorism, uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of...
, sometimes because the resident hasn't had the time or money to repaint their dwelling, sometimes because they still support Fujimori.
President Alejandro Toledo
Alejandro Toledo
Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique is a politician who was President of Peru from 2001 to 2006. He was elected in April 2001, defeating former President Alan García...
, Fujimori's successor, pushed through various initiatives to encourage peasants to return to the farming and mining communities whence they came, but they have not been effective.
Examples in other countries
- Arrabal (Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
) - AsentamientoAsentamientoAsentamientos are shanty towns inside and around Guatemala City. Most of them were established in the last 20 years, and are a result of economic inequalities between rural and metropolitan areas in Guatemala. People living there usually came from small towns in remote rural areas, and came to...
(GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
) - BarrioBarrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
(VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) - Barrio Marginado (HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
) - Barrio Marginal (EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
) - Cantegril (UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
) - Comunas (ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
) - FavelaFavelaA favela is the generally used term for a shanty town in Brazil. In the late 18th century, the first settlements were called bairros africanos . This was the place where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work lived. Over the years, many freed black slaves moved in...
(BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) - Población callampa (ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
) - Tugurio or Precario (Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
) - Villa MiseriaVilla miseriaA villa miseria is a form of shanty town or slum found in Argentina, mostly around the largest urban settlements. The term is a compound noun made of the Spanish words villa "village, small town" and miseria "misery, dejection"...
(ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
) - Chacarita (ParaguayParaguayParaguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
) - GhettoGhettoA ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
(United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
)
See also
- Colonia (border settlement)
- Favelas
- SquattingSquattingSquatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....