Cajamarca is the capital of the department of Cajamarca and
it is located in a beautiful and productive Andean countryside
in the valley with the same name.
The history of this city begins with the pre-Inca
civilization named Caxamarca, that had in this valley its cultural
center until it was dominated by the Inca empire which built
an important city, in the same that the Inca Atahualpa and the
Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro encountered on November
16th, 1532; important date that began with the decline of the
Incas Empire and the beginning of the conquest, Spanish colonization
and the trans-culture.
The importance of the pre Hispanic and colonial monuments, have
been worth this city to be declared as "America Heritage
Site" by UNESCO.
You will be able to visit the famous "Cuarto del Rescate"
(Rescue Room) the one that Atahualpa filled with silver and
gold in exchange of his liberation from Pizarro. Beautiful and
intact colonial churches also exist, and very near the city
you can see the colossal megalithic constructions of the caxamarcas,
picturesque towns and places around a beautiful Andean landscape.
The remarkable Architect Héctor Velarde said "conquerors
and Indians left in Cajamarca elegant large houses of cavalier
lines and of fine and luxurious finish. As all the northern
cities of the mountains, this is more Spanish than indigenous,
it is perhaps the most Spanish of all, but a touch of indigenous
spirit can be captured in the earth and colors of the city."
Cajamarca has its biggest popular expression in the Carnivals,
taken place as in any other city of Peru. Carnival time in Cajamarca
is among the most famous festivals in February in Peru. The
townspeople are an easy-going, amiable folk, and carnival time
involves entire neighborhoods and institutions until the end
of the festival, when the participants symbolically bury Ño
Carnavalón, the king of the carnival. The celebrations
go on for around a month, but there are eight main days, when
participants are often doused with water.
At the moment it is an enterprising city which economic activities
are based on agriculture, cattle raising and the mining -extraction
of gold and copper-, besides having very good artisans.
Unlike other Andean cities, its population doesn't have much
influence of the ethnic group Quechua, and most of them are
descendents of the Spanish miscegenation. The typical peasant
dressed in red "poncho", hat of straw of wide wing,
sandals like footwear and carrying saddlebags knitted in linen.
