Behind the Jorge Chávez International Airport lies the former San Agustín hacienda, founded at the beginning of the 20th century by a Catholic congregation and later acquired by the Prado family. The hacienda was dedicated to sugarcane cultivation and later to cotton. In 1930, a Japanese colony arrived and subdivided the hacienda. In 1960, construction of the airport began, for which part of San Agustín was sold. The workers settled on these fertile lands and on January 9, 1973, they created the shantytown of El Ayllu. To this day, they do not possess property titles, and in 2000 the government declared its expropriation. However, optimism prevails among the population, reflected in their soccer and cockfighting championships, patron saint festivals, and even the creation of the Juanita Barrantes community library, in honor of the teacher of all generations in the town. The uncertainty of the imminent departure does not diminish the cultivation of their lands, customs and hearts.
