Jirón Ucayali
 | |
| Part of | Damero de Pizarro |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Department of Ucayali |
| From | Jirón de la Unión |
| Major junctions | Jirón Carabaya, Jirón Lampa, Jirón Azángaro, Abancay Avenue, Jirón Ayacucho, Jirón Andahuaylas |
| To | Jirón Paruro |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1535 |
Jirón Ucayali is a major street in the Damero de Pizarro, located in the historic centre of Lima, Peru. The street starts at its intersection with the Jirón de la Unión and continues until it reaches Jirón Paruro. Its route extends to the west along Jirón Ica.
Its last block is known as Capón Street, and is the location of the city's Chinatown. The street has numerous food businesses selling Asian products, chifas and tea rooms.
History
The road that today constitutes the street was laid by Francisco Pizarro when he founded the city of Lima on January 18, 1535. In 1862, when a new urban nomenclature was adopted, the road was named jirón Ucayali, after the Department of Ucayali. Prior to this renaming, each block (cuadra) had a unique name:
- Block 1: Plateros de San Pedro, after its function as mandated by Vicreroy Francisco de Toledo: it was the location of silversmiths that worked with gold and silver.
- Block 2: Villalta.
- Block 3: San Pedro, after the convent of the same name.
- Block 4: Estudios, after a study room of the Jesuit Church of San Pablo.
- Block 5: Zavala, after the noble family of the same name.
- Block 6: Capón Primera, for reasons unknown. Originally one street, it was divided into two in 1911 under the government of Guillermo Billinghurst.
- Block 7: Capón Segunda, now simply known as Capón Street.
On January 13, 2024, a code-3 (out of control) fire consumed a 102-year old building near the street's corner with Abancay Avenue, affecting 16 families.