Lima conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as "Ciudad de los Reyes". It became the capital and most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. Following the Peruvian War of Independence, it became the capital of the Republic of Peru. Around one-third of the national population lives in the metropolitan area. Lima is home to one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the New World. The National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551, during the Spanish colonial regime, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas. In October 2013, Lima was chosen to
Santa Rosa District, Lima the nearby valley of the Chillón River. The second historical stage begins formally with the foundation of the district in 1962, on the basis of the "Urbanization Country Club" whose habilitation had begun in the middle of the previous decade. The economic, social, cultural and political changes in Lima -as the capital of Peru- affected the reality of the district of Santa Rosa, now characterized by rapid growth, provincial profile, emerging and thriving. In this way, the district of Santa Rosa is home to a diverse community that includes from citizens of Human Settlements and the owners of summer homes.