San Lorenzo Island during the Colony and the first republican century

Economy, industrial boom and public health

Abstract

This article presents the scope of the research carried out by the San Lorenzo Island Archaeological Project, which focuses mainly on the activities carried out in the island during the Colonial and the first century of the Republican period using archaeological (surveys and excavations) and historical (review of written sources) methods. During Colonial times, San Lorenzo island served economic and security functions. During our studies, we identified the quarries which provided the stones used in many construction projects in Lima and Callao, as well as the remains of the lookouts established there in the early 19th century. We also identified the ammunition storerooms used by Lord Thomas Cochrane during his 1819 expedition to the island and the remains of tents used by the patriotic liberation army during the early 1820’s. During the 19th century, the island also served public health functions, as was revealed by excavations in a quarantine base and the associated Republican-period cemetery. During the mid19th century, the island also experienced an industrial boom, in which stone continued to be removed from the quarries and mining concessions were granted. In the early the 20th century, the Guano Administration Company was established, and we were able to identify two areas with guano terraces. Furthermore, the naval presence in the island was intensified and consolidated with the opening of the Naval Base in 1926.