Reclaiming Callejón Otaiza: Connecting the Chinese Diaspora in Central Lima

Abstract

Lima’s Chinatown is a vibrant tapestry woven with the stories of multiple generations of Chinese immigrants. Over the years, it has supported the lives of many Chinese immigrants and Chinese Peruvian descendants alike. However, the Chinese population in Chinatown is stagnating due to the scarcity of residential and commercial units. The area has become so congested that it can no longer accommodate the needs of the growing community. As a result, many members of the Chinese community have migrated to other districts within Lima, where there is more space to support their businesses and residential needs. Apart from the space restraints within Lima’s Chinatown, new Chinese immigrants arriving are from different regions of China, causing subtle cultural differences. This shift has created a subtle divide within the Chinese diaspora, as the community becomes increasingly dispersed across the city.

This thesis investigates the relationship between Lima’s Chinese diaspora and Central Lima’s Chinatown by exploring the historical injustices and marginalization faced by the Chinese community in Lima. In response to these discriminatory events, the community united and shaped the enclave using architectural and commercial ownership strategies. Building on these historical strategies that led to the community’s prosperity, this study proposes a new commercial space at the historical site of Callejón Otaiza. By combining space occupation strategies from the callejones (a tenement with symmetrically aligned rooms on either side of an alley) of Lima with the architectural typologies of the galerías, the proposed design aims to foster community cohesion and economic opportunities for the Chinese community in Lima’s Chinatown.