Reinas del Mar

In 1881, the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos saw the Chilean Army advance against the Peruvian defenses, leaving the district in ruins and permanently altering the local landscape. Today, swimmers entering the water at Playa Agua Dulce do so beneath the silent gaze of the Morro Solar, the very headland where those historic trenches were carved. The high ground, now a protected Historical Intangible Zone, remains the most dominant feature on the horizon, shifting from a tactical military vantage point to a navigational marker for participants in the 1000m, 2000m, and 3000m events.

Navigating the Morro coast

As you distance yourself from the shore, the 37-meter tall Cristo del Pacífico statue serves as a primary visual orientation tool. Installed in 2011, its silhouette provides a constant reference against the sky while you navigate the coastline. For those seasoned in these waters, the event acts as a mid-season follow-up to the Travesía La Ruta de Olaya, which takes place just weeks earlier. The swim route also passes near the remnants of the Ichma culture, where the Armatambo archaeological site once stood as a major administrative hub. While modern urban sprawl has covered much of the area, the proximity to the historic shoreline ties the physical effort of the stroke to the deep-rooted history of the Lima coast. The nearby reef at La Herradura, protected since 2016 for its unique wave patterns, highlights the geological shifts that have redefined this stretch of the Pacific over the last four decades.