Getting Around in Trujillo

Downtown Trujillo is a grid of relatively short blocks ringed by Avenida Espana. At the heart of the centro is the Plaza de Armas, and the main sights are all nearby on the major streets leading off the square. Getting around the small centro is thus best managed on foot. However, you’ll need to take either a taxi or a public bus to visit the major archaeological sites outside Trujillo, or the beachside suburb, Huanchaco.

Confusing as can be are Trujillo’s street names: Nearly every street and avenue has two names and two corresponding signs, one a smaller printed version and the other a fancier painted sign. Most maps go by the smaller, printed name, which is what I give in this section.

Several urbanizaciones, or residential districts, lie just beyond Avenida Espana. Urbanizacion El Recreo, where several resort-style hotels are located, is just west of Av. 28 de Julio. Chan Chan is just 5km (3 miles) northwest of the city, on the way to the airport and Huanchaco. The Huacas de Moche are 8km (5 miles) south of town beyond the Carretera Industrial.

By Taxi – Taxis, all uniformly painted black and yellow, are plentiful in Trujillo. Most in-town fares, inside the Avenida Espana ring, are about S/3 (85¢). A taxi ride to Chan Chan or Huanchaco costs S/12 to S/15 (USD 3-USD 4). You can hire taxis by the hour (S/15 or USD 4) or by the day (USD 25-USD 35) to tour archaeological sites in the environs of Trujillo. Be sure to negotiate or ask first in the tourist office to determine the going fares because price gouging is not uncommon in Trujillo. Official taxis are identified by a coat of arms of the city. (more…)

Getting in Trujillo

By Plane — Trujillo is well connected to the rest of the country, but by far the easiest way to get here is to fly. Aero Continente and AeroCondor fly daily to Trujillo from Lima and Cajamarca. Flights from Lima cost between USD 59 and USD 69. Aero Continente also flies from Chiclayo. Flights arrive at the Aeropuerto Carlos Martinez de Pinillos on Carretera Huanchaco in the Huanchaco district . The airport is about 20 minutes northwest of downtown.

To downtown Trujillo, a taxi costs as little as S/10 (USD 2.85) if you bargain, although most drivers start by charging S/20 (USD 6). Huanchaco-Trujillo buses and colectivos pass in the general direction of the airport, but at a distance of about a mile from the entrance, making public transportation to and from the airport impractical for anyone with luggage.

By Bus — Like most big cities, Trujillo is serviced by several domestic bus companies from Lima and most major points along the north coast and northern highlands. Many long-distance buses travel at night only. There is no central bus station in Trujillo. Most individual company terminals are near downtown, located to the northwest by the Estadio Mansiche, to the southwest near Avenida Espana, or to the east near Avenida El Ejercito.

The major companies making the 8-hour trip from Lima are Ormeno (tel. 01/472-5000), Cruz del Sur , and Oltursa . For the 6-hour trip from Cajamarca, Transportes Linea has two classes of service, economico and especial, which is slightly faster, a bit more comfortable, and a tad more expensive than economico class. Transportes Linea is also the major company for the 3-hour journey from Chiclayo and the 8-hour journey from Huaraz. ITTSA runs from Lima, Chiclayo, and Piura. Note that night buses especially have a reputation for being unsafe. In Trujillo, Ormeno is located at Av. Ejercito 233, Cruz del Sur at Amazonas 437, and Linea at Av. America Sur 2857.

Shopping in Trujillo

Trujillo doesn’t have much to interest potential shoppers, unless you need eyeglasses; Calle Bolivar is loaded with opticians. For a taste of what shopping means to most Trujillo natives, check out the sprawling street mercado that operates daily along Avenida Los Incas.

It’s one of the more unruly (and headache-inducing) markets in Peru, with vendors struggling to be heard over the incessant sounds of car horns. The market stretches across several blocks and spreads out into the street, selling an unending variety of vegetables, fish, and household items; there are even carts full of charcoal.

Most visitors will be better off shopping in Huanchaco. Artesania del Norte, Los Olivos 504 (tel. 044/461-220), has some of the coolest exclusive ceramics designs in Peru. They’ll ship pieces to your home if you can’t limit yourself to just one. The mercado de artesania fronting the beach in Huanchaco has a number of stalls and is also an excellent place for jewelry, including pieces made with the sought-after blue stone lapis lazuli.

Attractions in Trujillo

In Trujillo

Trujillo has an impressive collection of elegant colonial- and republican-era houses (casas antiguas) and baroque churches, as well as one of Peru’s odder museums of ancient ceramics. A tour of Trujillo rightly begins with the graceful Plaza de Armas, where vendors hang out and families in their Sunday finery pose for pictures in front of the Libertad monument. On the square is the Catedral, built in the mid-17th century but rather sober and uninteresting, although it has a Museo Catedratico (tel. 044/235-083) with silver and gold chalices and bishops’ vestments. The plaza is ringed by colorful examples of fine colonial-era mansions, including the one that is now home to the Hotel Libertador. Trujillo’s pastel colonial buildings are distinguished by their ornamental wrought-iron window grilles, unusual in Peru.

Trujillo’s Casas Coloniales–Besides the colonial and republican houses that allow visitors, other houses worth a look from outside (and occasionally inside, if they’re public buildings) are the bright yellow Casa de la Emancipacion (now Banco Continental), Pizarro 610, where independence from Spain was proclaimed on December 29, 1820; Casa Bracamonte, Independencia 441; Casa Lynch, on the Plaza de Armas opposite the cathedral; Casa Aranda, Bolivar 621; Casa del Mayorazgo de Facala, Pizarro 314; and Casa Garcia Holguin, Independencia 527 on the Plaza de Armas.

Huancacho

Huanchaco, 12km (7 1/2 miles) northwest of Trujillo, is a tranquil and traditional fishing village now doubling as pretty low-key resort. On summer weekends, though, it gets jumping with folks from Trujillo and vacationing Peruvians. Huanchaco is a very good alternative to Trujillo as a base for exploring the archaeological sites of the Chimu and Moche (and a day’s visit to the capital city is easily accomplished from Huanchaco).

The town’s fishing character is apparent in the long jetty that juts out over the water and the pointy handcrafted boats called caballitos del mar (or caballitos de totora), for which Huanchaco has become famous and which remain the photogenic vessel of choice for fishers. These small boats, made of bound totora reeds, have been used by fishermen for more than 1,000 years, since the reign of the Moche. The area around Huanchaco is one of the few places in Peru where this ancient sea-vessel tradition has not disappeared from use. When not out on the water, they’re parked on the beach in groups like slender tepees.

Besides a stroll on the beach and visit to Huanchaco’s pleasant artesania market, there’s not too much to see or do. A 16th-century colonial church clings to a cliff, but it’s a long walk uphill from town. More than anything else, Huanchaco’s easy pace and proximity to the sea are its main attractions. It has several agreeable resort hotels, seafood restaurants, and nice stretches of beach. The big waves here attract local surfers and a few board-carrying tourists, although the biggest and best waves are at Puerto Chicama (also known as Malabrigo), about 80km (50 miles) farther up the coast. Waves there can be ridden up to a half-mile, and it’s the site of the largest left wave in the world. (Another good spot in the far north is Cabo Blanco, about 110km/68 miles south of Tumbes.) La Casa Suiza hostal rents out body boards.

To get there, pick up a Huanchaco bus (S/1 or 30¢) along Independencia in Trujillo; the buses go along the first part of the beach before turning on Los Ficus. You can get to Puerto Chicama by colectivos, which depart hourly from the Terminal Interurbano on Calle Santa Cruz in Trujillo; the journey takes about 90 minutes. A taxi from Trujillo is about USD 4.

Catch Some Ondas–If you want to check out some waves along Peru’s north coast, If you can read Spanish, another good surfing site is www.peruazul.com.

The Peruvian Rat Dog–Near the Chan Chan site museum and elsewhere in northern Peru, you might spot a peculiar smooth, black-skinned creature, often with blotches. This less than blessed creature is the biringo, or Peruvian hairless dog. Ancient and — to my Labrador-loving tastes — ugly as all get out, these dogs were kept by several of the pre-Inca cultures of the region, and they’re still around and kept as pets. These dogs are hot to the touch, and it is said that ancient nobles kept them as portable heaters. The Lambayeque and Chimu not only domesticated the animal, though; they also made it part of their diets. Eeww.

Moche Culture

Anyone who has spent time in a small museum room crammed with the famed erotic ceramics of the Moche culture might feel that we know almost too much about this ancient civilization, certainly more than plenty of people are comfortable seeing depicted on vases and other vessels. But our knowledge isn’t limited to the Moche’s sexual mores. The Moche, who inhabited the northern coastal desert of Peru from A.D. 100 to 700, left detailed information about their entire civilization in their finely detailed ceramics, which are some of the finest produced in pre-Columbian Peru. The Moche are, along with the contemporary Nasca people from the desert coast south of Lima, the best-documented culture of the Classical period.

The apogee of Moche society was A.D. 500-600. Although they possessed no written language, their superior painted pottery presents evidence of nearly all elements of their society, from disease and dance to architecture, transportation, agriculture, music, and religion. The Moche were a strictly hierarchical, elite-dominated society that developed into a theocracy. They also constituted one of the first true urban cultures in Peru. Religious temples or pyramids, called huacas, were restricted to nobles, warriors, and priests; common citizens — farmers, artisans, fishers, and slaves — lived in areas removed from the temples.

The finest selection of Moche ceramics in the country is found at the Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera in Lima, the largest private collection of pre-Columbian art in the world. The founder of the museum is the author of the classic study Los Mochicas. The Museo de Arte Precolombino in Cusco also has a fine, although small, collection of Moche artifacts.

Nightlife in Trujillo

Trujillo is pretty quiet except on weekends, when it springs to life. A few nightclubs and penas are clustered in the centro, but most of the hopping discos that go all night are very local and young affairs, on the outskirts of the city. Trujillo has a surprising roster of casinos and movie houses (including two multiplexes showing recently arrived English-language films), and those are as good as any destination for an evening out.

Las Tinajas, Pizarro 383 , with a balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas, is a pretty chic and popular bar with a downstairs disco, good for drinks midweek. On weekends, it features live rock and pop; the cover is S/5 (USD 1.50). El Estribo, San Martin 810, is a lively and large open music hall with pena music and Mariah Carey wannabes occasionally performing. The cover charge is S/7 (USD 2). La Canana, San Martin 791 (tel. 044/232-503), is another nearby pena with a good restaurant and live music and dancing on weekends. The cover is usually about S/10 (USD 3).

Luna Rota, at America Sur 2119 in the Santa Maria district at the end of Huayna Capac , is an all-in-one complex with a thumping disco for teenagers, a pub, and a casino for slightly more mature folks. The cover in the disco and pub is S/7 to S/10 (USD 2-USD 3).

Cine Primavera, Orbegoso 239, near the Plaza de Armas , has first-run American and European films in their original languages and draws long lines of moviegoers. Among the collection of casinos along Orbegoso and Pizarro is Casino Solid Gold, Orbegoso 554. Open daily 24 hours, it has cocktail waitresses in flashy short skirts and a low-rent Vegas feel to it; its cheesy theme is “Chan Chan Lost World.”

When to go Trujilo

In September, the International Springtime and Marinera Festival takes place in Trujillo. The city dresses up for the festivities, taking on a joyful air that makes it very attractive.

During the Festival, the famous “Corso de las Flores” (Parade of the Flowers) is held along with a variety of artistic and folklore shows which are enjoyed by thousands of local and foreign tourists. Not only that, the Festival is also the ideal time to enjoy Peru’s leading dance Peru’s leading dance, the “Marinera”, in all its splendor; an amorous pursuit full of elegance and gallantry.

Introducation of Trujillo

Trujillo is a city in northwestern Peru. It is located on the lower Moche River, near its mouth on the Pacific Ocean. Trujillo is the capital of the La Libertad Region , and is the third-largest city in the country, behind Lima and Arequipa. In Trujillo, spring is eternal. The sunalways shines, filling even the most secluded corners of the capital of the department of La Libertad with light. This light brightens the spirit of an affable and cordial people, who live proud of their adobe citadels built by the Chimus and Mochicas; their stately mansions, heritage of colonial times and the beginnings of the Republic; and of the ‘marinera’, the national dance of Peru, a whirl of sensuality and gallantry from which love is born.

Trujillo, in the northern coast of Peru, was founded in 1534 by Don Diego de Almagro, who, on stopping in the valley of the Moche river on his advance toward Pachacamac (Lima), “found the place promising and suitable for founding a city”, and named it after the Spanish city where conquistador Francisco Pizarro was born. From the day of its foundation, the city progressed rapidly owing to the productivity of the valley and the tenacity of its people; builders of stately mansions with outstanding artistic window railings in wrought iron, adding a touch of distinction and elegance to Trujillo’s architecture.

Yet the enchantment of Trujillo goes beyond its colonial past and slips back into the pre-Hispanic period. The city of Chan-Chan is also in the Moche valley, capital of the Kingdom of the Great Chimu, considered the largest city in the world to be built out of mud (adobe) and covering an area over 20 square kilometers square. This massive citadel is only comparable to Teotihuacan in Mexico or the ancient cities of Egypt.

The Huaca del Sol , a stepped pyramid 20 meters high; the Huaca de la Luna, with fascinating murals representing the rituals of the Mochicas,and the Complejo del Brujo (El Brujo complex), distinguished for an adobe pyramid 30 meters high and over 15 centuries old, are evidence of the greatness of the first peoples to inhabit the north coast of Peru.

Centuries have passed and they haveproven Don Diego de Almagro right, as indeed, the Moche valley was promising and suitable for founding a city. Of this there is no doubt and everyone who gets to know Trujillo, the land of sun and eternal springtime, are well aware of the fact.

Talara Province

Talara is a province in the Piura Region, Peru. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Paita Province on the south, the Sullana Province on the east and the Tumbes Region’s Contralmirante Villar Province on the north. Its capital is the port city of Talara.

Attractions

The province has tourist attractions such as the Mancora beach resort, Cabo Blanco beach, Punta Balcones, Parinas Forest, Amotape mountains, a whale fossils deposit, Plataforma del Zocalo Continental, Talara Refinery and the Talara Civic Centre.

Punta Parinas, the westernmost point in mainland South America, is located in the province’s La Brea District.

Climate

The Talara Province has a yearly average temperature of 20 °C.

Political division

The Talara Province is divided into six districts (Spanish: distritos, singular: distrito), each of which is headed by a mayor (alcalde):
El Alto
La Brea
Lobitos
Los Organos
Mancora
Parinas

Introducation of Talara

Talara is a city in the Talara Province and Piura Region of northwestern Peru. It is a port city on the Pacific Ocean. As of 1993, it’s population is 103,200. Because of its oil reserves, and ability to produce aviation fuel, Talara was a major United States air base during World War II. The city still produces 70% of Peruvian petroleum. Talara is also home to a large fishing fleet.

It is difficult to talk about Piura and to show its qualities in just a few lines due to the countless tourist, economical, human and industrial resources that God and nature has blessed our region with. That is why this group of first class young professionals, who are rooted to their homeland and who believe in the value of this wonderful region and in its limitless range of options, achieves a major dream to show Peru and the rest of the world, through this first culture - tourist Web site, the beauty of s land and its people.

Historical Outtline of Talara

Chroniclers do not mention this region in their reports, on the other hand, they mention widely the Chira, Piura and Tumbes valleys, and this because talking about it’s geographical environment, Talara is a vast desert whose dunes go into sea.

During the times of the Colony, by means of native information it became Known the existing of a mine of “Cope tar “where the Spanish went to search it to use it applying it to their ropes and fishing equipment to caulk boats.

For his part Raimondi, remarks “That is Amotape exist asphalt which being mixed with
Clayey sand, looks as masses whose color is nearly chocolate with a light bituminous color and that it flames up and burns with darkened flames, leaving a sandy tisuna”

Just in 1849, a little bit more than century, the first “black gold” prospectors started to arrive, since oil was a vital product for the industrial civilization that was hidden below it’s arid and desert surface. Under the sign of wok and ambition Talara was born as a simple labourers’ quarters, as a camp to transform into what at present is: a city.

Being Antonio Manso de Velasco count of Superunda Viceroy of Peru, The Spanish Royal Crown provided that the oilfields whose value was entirely known by the Spanish became royal inheritance.

As years went by and in 1710, a family named De la Cruz was allowed to run the mine for a century, in other words till 1810.

On making the Viceroyalty into republic, the Peruvian state was the legitimate heir of the mine, which was transferred to Jose Antonio Quintana in September the 28th, 1826 as payment for the credit of tour thousand nine hundred seventy four pesos that Mr. Quintana had lended Ecuador during the independence war.

Later on Mr. Quintana sold the property to Jose de Lama. After Mr. Lama died in 1850 the property was divided into heirs, being the mine and the so-called zone “La Brea” given to Mrs. Josefa de Lama, meanwhile de section called “Parinas” was transfered to widow Mrs. Luisa Godos de Lama.
After wards, t6his mine became Mr. Genaro Helguero’s property who traveled to the United States to hire Eduardo Fowks to bring to the country the necessary machinery and equipments to stars the oil working. (more…)