Peru: Trujillo
Travel Guide : The City of Eternal Spring
In this page you will find useful information about Trujillo: General information, Location, History, Main attractions and Typical dishes.
Calonge House
House
Chan Chan General Information
- Location: North of Peru
- Area: 25 962 km2
- Capital: Trujillo (34 masl)
- Altitude:
Minimum: 3 masl (Salaverry)
Maximum: 4008 masl (Quiruvilca) - Distances:
346 miles (557 km) from Lima.
128 miles (206 km) from Chiclayo.
182.7 miles (294 km) from Cajamarca. - Population: 652,000 inhabitants
Trujillo is a friendly and colonial city, which is at the same time one of the main economic and cultural centers of northern Peru. What is more, it is the capital of the marinera dance and Peruvian El Paso horse breeding. It was the center of the Chimú culture (1100-1400 AD), whose Chan Chan citadel is the largest pre-Hispanic mud-brick construction in the Americas.
Trujillo was founded in 1534 as one of the main cities in the vice-regency. The old quarter features many fine colonial buildings such as the Cathedral, the El Carmen monastery, churches and mansions which symbolize the beauty and architectural harmony of the city.
On the city's outskirts, visitors can take in an older style of architecture, where the remains of a pre-Hispanic civilization still rear above the green fields and desert sands. The Chan Chan citadel, the El Brujo complex and the temples of the Sun, the Moon and the Dragon, amongst others, are evidence of highly advanced northern civilizations.
Beaches near Trujillo are ideal for visitors, not just because of the superb local seafood, fresh caught, or the cool sea breeze, but also for the opportunities to be had for adventure sports and contact with tradition. Huanchaco is a picturesque fishing cove where one can find the ancient craft that appeared on Mochica pottery and on friezes at Chan Chan: the caballitos de totora, rafts woven from the totora reed in an art that has been handed down over generations. Similar skill is shown by the surfing crowd, which year after year gather in the port of Malabrigo, where a surfing championship is staged every March. The local beaches feature the world's longest waves.
But above all, Trujillo is the land of the marinera, and the townspeople hold the National Marinera Contest every March, In September, the streets and houses are festooned with decorations to receive a procession of floats, competitions and parties. This is the International Spring Festival, which celebrates the arrival of spring in Peru.
Location, extension and population
The department of La Libertad is located in the north of the country, extending from the Coast up to the High Jungle or Mountain Rim. It limits to the north with Cajamarca, to the south with Huánuco and Ancash, to the East with San Martín, and to the West with the Pacific Ocean. On the Coast, the climate is warm and spring like, with an annual average temperature of 19.9ºC (66ºF). In the Sierra, the weather is dry, mild during the day and cold at night; in the Jungle, it is tropical and rainy, with temperatures that surpass 24ºC (75ºF).
La Libertad has an extension of 24,241 km² (9,350 sq ml) and a population of over 1'200,000 people.
The capital is Trujillo, known as the City of Eternal Spring, due to its pleasant climate. Other important cities are Pacasmayo, Santiago de Chuco, Otuzco, and Huamachuco.
Brief historic overview
In this department, vestiges of the first most significant pre-Hispanic groups of the northern region have been found. Great civilizations, as the Mochica culture, flourished in the valleys of Moche, Chicama, and Virú from the third to the eighth century AD. The so called 'realistic ceramics,' including the famous huacos-retratos or portrait-huacos, belong to this period. Also to this period belong the huacas or 'pyramidal tombs,' which exhibit a great knowledge of architecture.
From the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, the region witnessed the great evolution of the Chimú culture. Chan Chan (Sun Sun), the capital, was the largest adobe metropolis of pre-Hispanic America and the second in the world. This civilization also stood out for its excellent work in metal, mainly gold, and its advanced farming techniques, displayed in a large system of aqueducts. After finding great resistance, the Incas finally managed to conquest this reign in the fourteenth century.
Trujillo was founded at the arrival of the Spanish to the valley, late in the year 1534, receiving in 1537 the title of 'city.' It stood among the most important cities of the Viceroyship when it developed into one of the richest regions in the north, as the beautiful and rich mansions prove.
Trujillo was the first city in the north of Peru to proclaim its independence on December 29, 1820. During the Chilean invasion, the Battle of Huamachuco took place as a corollary to the Breña Campaign, where Leoncio Prado was captured and executed.
Main attractions of Capital City
Chan Chan is the capital of the reign of Gran Chimú and is known as the greatest mud city of pre-Hispanic America. It has an extension of 20 km² (7.7 sq ml) and an estimated population of 60,000 people. The ruins include plazas, housing, warehouses, workshops, labyrinths, walls, excellent roads, and pyramidal tombs or huacas.
Plaza Mayor or Main Square. It is considered the largest in the country, with a granite and marble monument in honor of the heroes of the independence standing in the center. The Cathedral or Basílica Mayor, first built in 1666 and destroyed by an earthquake in 1759, was restored between 1768 and 1781. It houses a valuable collection of paintings of the Cusco style.
Monsaterio del Carmen. Built in 1724, this fine architectural complex is one of the richest in the northern part of the country. It contains around 150 paintings, for the most part belonging to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Iglesia de Santa Clara and Iglesia de San Agustín, built in 1548 and 1558 respectively. They house fine carved wood altars, paintings, and examples of baroque architecture.
Iglesia de la Compañía. It dates from the seventeenth century and was part of the Jesuit convent. In the inside beautiful arcades can be seen.
Casonas or Mansions. Having been a city of great Spanish influence, the casonas built in Trujillo during the first years of the Republic preserve traits of Colonial architecture in their large patios, ample parlors, sober façades, and beautiful window gratings. Most outstanding among these Republican mansions are Palacio Iturregui, Casa de Mayorazgo, Casa Urquiaga, Casa Bracamonte and Casa Ganoza.
Among the museums, the most important are the Museo Arquelógico de la Universidad de Trujillo, Museo de Zoología, and the Collection of José Cassinelli.
Huacas. The huacas del Sol, de la Luna, del Dragón, Esmeralda, Toledo, El Obispo, Concha and Caballo Muerto are very close to the city and help understand the ancient cultures of Peru. It is said that to build the Huaca del Sol in only three days, 250,000 men and 70,000 adobes were required.
Huanchaco. An ancient port of the Colonial period, it is a very popular beach today, where local fishermen still use the caballitos de totora or totora boats that were ridden by the Mochica and Chimú for fishing. Other beaches worth visiting are Las Delicias and Buenos Aires.
Haciendas Casagrande, Cartavio and Chiclín. These plantations were famous in the times of vast sugar production in the country.
Another attractions of Capital City
Moche. It is a typical town of the Coast, with a tranquil life, a beautiful countryside, pleasant weather and fruits in abundance.
Otuzco. Located at 2,632 m.a.s.l. (8,600 ft), it is a city of very religious people. The greatest manifestation of religious faith in all the north of the country, the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Puerta, takes place in Otuzco.
Coina. Typical Andean region at the shores of the Chicama river. It has a dry and healthy climate. Also, thermal waters and rather unexplored pre-Columbian ruins.
Huamachuco. A Colonial city over 3,310 m.a.s.l. (10,800 ft), it keeps Inca ruins in the Viracocha Pampa.
Santiago de Chuco. At 148 km (91 ml) from Trujillo and located at 3,100 m.a.s.l. (10,100 ft), this city is famous for its celebration of the Fiesta del Apóstol Santiago, El Mayor, and also for being the birthplace of the poet César Vallejo.
Cachicadan. This painteresque place at 183 km (114 ml) from Trujillo is famous for its thermal waters, considered the best in quality of the country. They are rich in iron and the temperatures surpass 60°C (140°F).
Pacasmayo. Province where the wonderful ruins of Pacatnamú, Pitura, Tecapa, Pacanga and Chérrepe are found, as well as the house where the famous Italian explorer, Antonio Raimondi, died.
Chicama. A port located in the province of Pacasmayo. Its beaches are famous for attracting surfers from all over the world who come searching for the perfect waves.
El Brujo Archeological Complex. Located in the province of Ascope, it was built during the Mochica period on an area of 2 km² (0.77 ml). This complex includes a site museum showing the evolution of the Peruvian culture from 5,000 BC up to Colonial times.
Typical dishes and veberages
La Libertad is known for the good flavor of its cuisine. It is said that 'good taste' is found in the north of the country, and that it is easy to prove. Moreover, there is not a restaurant or picantería that does not give a good serving of the dishes at reasonable prices.
In this part of the Coast, the different varieties of cebiches muy picantes (very hot) are outstanding., as well as seco de cabrito and sangrecita . Also, other typical food as shambard , a soup of pealed wheat with beef and pork meat. Another dish is la cesina, sun dried meat served fried with yucca, chili and onions. Likewise, the causa en lapa and sangre de pantera (the juice of the cebiche with sour orange) must be tasted.
To drink, the local beer is recommended or the corn chicha or jora chicha . As dessert, king kong and machacado de membrillo.
Booking Now Contact Us
We do have the lowest prices. We will meet or beat any internet published rates from companies outside Peru for all package tours. All HOTELS and TOURS are based on US standards.
Peru Information
Testimonials
Dear Hilda,
"We finnaly received the feedback from Mrs Denise Tardif and she had very good comments about the trip in Peru. Every people in the group was happy and loved that... " Mélanie
Phone: (511) 495-2302 - (511) 495-1283 Fax: (511) 445-2532
Email: postmaster@turismoinkaiko.net
