Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Miraflores was one of the locations inhabited by members of the ancient Lima culture, which preceded the Inca Empire.

[1] Established as San Miguel de Miraflores, it takes its name from the Miraflores Charterhouse, having become a district on January 2, 1857 under the presidency of Ramón Castilla and containing a number of estates (Armendáriz, Balconcillo, Barboncito, La Palma, Conde San Isidro, Lince, Limatambo, Santa Cruz and Chacarilla), as well as the lands at Leuro and Ocharán.

Miraflores was the site of the encounters between José de San Martín and Viceroy Pezuela that took place during the Peruvian War of Independence, on September 24, 1820.

During the 1940s, the Iglesia Matriz Virgen Milagrosa was built next to the district's central park,[3] replacing the original San Miguel de Miraflores Church.

[5] Along with its northern neighbour, San Isidro, Miraflores is inhabited primarily by upper-class residents and is consistently listed as one of the most expensive districts in the country.