A gated community, it is inhabited by upper-class families and considered one of the most exclusive and expensive areas of the city.

[1] During the War of the Pacific, a division of Orozimbo Barbosa marched through the area, then part of Ate District, at 7 a.m. on January 9, 1881, with the intent to deceive local Peruvian troops under the command of Mariano Vargas and divert them to the area to defend the city against an east-to-west attack instead of a southern advance, which actually took place.

[1] The mining area of La Planicie de Pampa Grande was included in the district through its prior acquisition by the Aparicio-Figari Group, contributing about 50% of its territory, from which the neighbourhoods of La Planicie, El Lago and Las Lagunas were created.

[8] The area is divided into several sectors:[9] In 2023, 49 Malaysians—23 men and 26 women—were released from their illegal custody in a house next to Villa María School after a raid by police, with 6 Taiwanese and 2 Peruvians, who acted as the residence's security guards, arrested.

[10][11][12] In 2024, a mass grave with the remains of at least three people was discovered near the neighbourhood's eastern limit with Cieneguilla.