ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relation between political organizations among the popular sector residents of Villa El Salvador and the state. It also examines the development of Villa in light of changing state-society relations. The chapter explores the relation between self-management in the district and the role of state institutions. The invasion that led to the creation of Villa El Salvador exposed the ambiguities of the Velasco regime's mobilization project. The transformation of Villa from a shantytown into a municipal district had important political implications. The agreement between municipal authorities and the Comunidad Urbana Autogestionaria de Villa El Salvador (CUAVES) outlined a relationship that was virtually outside the sphere of existing formal-legal political structures in Peru. In April 1976 the CUAVES organized one of the largest protests in Lima. By 1983, when the shantytown was converted into a municipal district, the state had seemingly withdrawn from attempts to influence popular urban districts.
