The informal community of Cerrito de la Virgen, and a military training complex in the background.
The community of Cerrito de la Virgen is named after la Virgen del Socorro, the patron saint of fishermen. A shrine to the saint sits on top of a rocky formation near the settlement. The community is deeply religious.
The informal community of Cerrito de la Virgen was started around 2004. Residents from other nearby communities who could no longer afford rent came here to build their own homes and start their own community. Other residents hail from mountainous regions of Peru that suffered extreme flooding, and from other countries where there is no work. The community is bordered by an airport on one side and a sewage treatment center on the other side, even though the community has no access to sewage services themselves.
