Chota District is one of nineteen

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the

Chota Province Chota Province is a province of the Cajamarca Region in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática The Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) ("National Institute of Statistics and Informatics") is a semi-autonomous Peruvian government agency which coordinates, compiles, and evaluates statistical information for the country ...

.
Banco de Información Distrital
''. Retrieved April 11, 2008. It is located in the central part of the province in the northern Andean region of Peru. Its capital is located on the plateau of Acunto at 2,388 meters above sea level and 150 km north of

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...

, or 219 km east of

Chiclayo Chiclayo (; qu, Chiklayu) is the principal city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located inland from the Pacific coast and from the nation's capital, Lima. Founded by Spanish explorers as "Santa María de los Valles de Chiclay ...

, Lambayeque.

History

The pre-Incan history of Chota clearly shows the influence of Mochica Chavín;

Miguel Cabello de Balboa Miguel Cabello de Balboa (c. 1535 — 1608) was a Spanish secular priest and writer. Early years Miguel Cabello de Balboa was a great-nephew of Captain Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to have lead an expedition to encounter the Paci ...

in his ''Miscelánea Antárctica'' described their god Chota as a "man of great talent and great valor"—specifically mentioning the Acunto plateau. One of his descendants also carried this name. The Spanish conquest found the locals in a disorganized and rebellious state. During the war with Chile, after the

battle of San Pablo A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

when the

Araucanian The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

entered Chota, the people decided to poison the waters of Colpamayo. Chileans ordered the burning of Chota, August 29, 1882 in retaliation for the defeat they suffered at San Pablo. Thousands of houses fell, and the church burned although the statue of their patron saint, Maria Inmaculada, was saved. Chota dates to the pre-

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

period through the Incan. It was founded on 1 November 1559 and became part of the district of Huambo in 1777, with the name "All Saints". Chota was proclaimed independent on January 12, 1821. Horacio Villanueva granted it the status of "province" under Mayor Innocent Consar on February 6, 1821, and provisional status was granted by Don

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and cent ...

during the

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

Festivals

The main festival is San Juan, held on 24 June; the bullfight in the Coso "El Vizcaíno", is the primary attraction. The Patronal Fiesta Santa Rosa de Lima takes place in the Cabracancha district of Chota, and is celebrated on August 30.

Ronda Campesinos

The history Los Ronderos Campesinos began in Chota and has spread to many parts of Cajamarca. Chota was known to have "neighborhood watch" like vigilante organizations in many of its communities. However, Cuyulmalca got the credit as being the first group of Ronderos Campesinos to be recognized by the local government.

References

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