Iquitos, from the missionary village to the city: the long 19th century

Abstract

The present days densely populated city of Iquitos started as a small missionary settlement on the banks of the river Itaya, whose development was modest until the mid-nineteenth century, when the Peruvian State began to show a growing interest in sitting your presence in the Amazon plain. As a result of that effort, some Peruvians and foreigners were established in the town, linked to the outside world through the mighty Amazon. The exploitation of rubber accelerated this process, leading to a rapid process of urban growth, attracting many different human groups, which were giving the appearance of the thriving city that had become at the beginning of the 20th century. New light on this process, which occurred in a fast and disordered way, laying the groundwork for today’s society of Iquitos, are given in this article.