History of Pasco

The first inhabitants of the region were the Pumpos. When the Incas conquered the Pasco region they focused on the gold and silver mines. Among the Pumpos’ settlements of those times, there was one called Yauri near the Yauricocha Lagoon. This population held its ground under the Inca domination and it is this settlement that eventually became the city of Cerro de Pasco.

The Spanish population made a large mining camp in Pasco. The ore was abundant and much of it was gathered for the Spanish Crown. The city of Cerro de Pasco was given the title of “Wealthy Fortune”.

In 1824, Bolivar went through Pasco with its army marching to meet Canterac in Junin. In 1841, during the temporary presidency of Manuel Melendez, the missionary Manuel Plaza obtained authorization to begin catechizing, thus clearing the way for Christianity from Pasco to Pozuzo.

The martyr of Peruvian medicine, Daniel Alcides Carrion, was from Cerro de Pasco.