Miraflores Central Park

Miraflores Central Park (Spanish: Parque Central de Miraflores), commonly known as Kennedy Park (Spanish: Parque Kennedy), is a public park located in Miraflores, Lima, Peru. The park serves the district's main square, and is divided into two areas, one of which gives the park its common name. It is bordered by Miraflores Roundabout to the north, Larco and Diagonal avenues to the east and west, respectively, and Schell Street to the south.

Two streets—Lima and Virgen Milagrosa—pass through the park. The park is known for its large presence of street cats, and is commonly used for events such as book fairs and marathons, as well as Fiestas Patrias celebrations such as the Corso Wong, and political and social protests.

Name

The park is officially called "Miraflores Central Park" (Spanish: Parque Central de Miraflores), also simply called "Miraflores Park" (Spanish: Parque de Miraflores). Despite the name, the area is divided into two parks: John F. Kennedy Park (Spanish: Parque John F. Kennedy), named after the late U.S. president, and 7 June Park (Spanish: Parque 7 de Junio), named after the date of the Battle of Arica.

The former gives the entire park complex its popular name, Kennedy Park.

History

The area that houses the park today saw conflict towards the end of the campaign to take Lima during the War of the Pacific in what was known as the Battle of Miraflores. An area it eventually expanded to located west of its church was originally the site of buildings, such as the Gran Hotel, which was destroyed by a fire immediately following the battle among other buildings, such as the rancho across the street.