The district's territory was the setting of important episodes in the War of the Pacific against Chile (1879?1883). The so-called Battle of Chorrillos took place in the fields of San Juan, about 11 km away from the town on January 13, 1881; but after the battle, the Chilean soldiers looted, sacked and set fire to the town of Chorrillos, raped the women and killed many civilians, including foreigners, children and women. There is a nameplate inside the Fire Station that remembers the names of the Italian firemen who were executed by a Chilean firing squad for attempting to put out the fires and save the civilian population. From republican times, only a select group of the large old houses have survived, as the majority were destroyed by Chilean invaders.
