The lower end of the Rimac valley was divided among several districts ruled by a lord (curaca), each charged with administering the lands and water along a pre-Inca irrigation network.

[10] The district's central location and proximity to San Isidro and Miraflores, have also contributed to it becoming an increasingly popular residential option.

[10] Jesús María is experiencing a housing and construction boom, and many casonas (older large, luxury homes) are being replaced with high-rise apartments and condominiums.

Commissioned by President Fernando Belaúnde Terry, and designed by a team headed in part by architects Enrique Ciriani, Jorge Páez, Jorge Bernuy, and Nikita Smirnoff Bracamonte, San Felipe was designed to combine a high residential density with ample green space, and shopping, banking, and schooling[13] opportunities for residents,[14][15] and is widely considered the cornerstone of Jesús María's middle-class identity.

[19] San José Park -which serves a de facto main square for the district- marks the district's original "downtown".

Other important medical centers within the district are the private Clĺnica San Felipe, and the national Police and Military Hospitals.

[19] The Universidad del Pacífico, one of the most prestigious universities in economy, is located in Jesús María, on Avenida Salaverry.