Dry, deserted and without vegetation, it is located 7 km from the coast, to the west of La Punta District and to the southeast of San Lorenzo Island.

[2][3][4] The island became a penal colony in the early 19th century, starting in 1917, under president José Pardo's second administration.

[9] On June 18, 1986, the Shining Path led an uprising in El Frontón's Blue Pavilion (Spanish: Pabellón Azul),[1] as well as two other prisons.

[10][11] The behavior of the Peruvian Government during the uprising in the prison led to censure by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

[8] The island is the main setting for Alberto Durant's 1991 film Alias 'La Gringa', based on Portugal's story.