Matucana is a town in Central

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 ...

, capital of the Matucana District located in the

Huarochirí Province Huarochirí Province (in hispanicized spelling) or Waruchiri is located in the Lima Region of Peru. Its capital is Matucana. The western section is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area. Geography The La Viuda and Paryaqaqa or Waruchiri mountain ...

, in the

Department of Lima The Department of Lima () is a department and region located in the central coast of Peru, the ''seat of the Regional Government'' is Huacho. Lima Province, which contains the city of Lima, the country's capital, is located west of the Departmen ...

. It's located to the east of Lima at 2,378 m (7,802 ft) above sea level, along the Central Highway ( es, Carretera Central) at km 74.

History

Matucana was founded in 1647 by Miguel de Castro y García, a descendant of one of Francisco Pizarro's Conquistadores. He discovered gold in the hills outside of Matucana at a site that was once a holy shrine for the Incas. Using Inca slaves to operate the mine, he became very wealthy and eventually returned to live in Lima, Peru. The gold mine was unfortunately buried in a huge avalanche triggered by the devastating Santa Ursula earthquake of October 21, 1756, which also caused great damage to the City of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Society and culture

The City of Matucana is a popular destination for eco-tourists, as it has beautiful water falls in the deep valleys outside of the town and plentiful hiking trails. It is also the starting point for the increasingly popular "De Las Montanas y Mar" bicycle race held every year between Matucana and Lima. The bicycle race starts at the Chez Victor Restaurant in Matucana and finishes at the La Rosa Nautica Restaurant in Lima. One of Don Miguel's descendants runs the Chez Victor restaurant in Matucana, while the La Rosa Nautica Restaurant is owned by the descendants of the Viceroy who granted the lands around Matucana to Don Miguel de Castro y Garcia. Coincidentally, the Chez Victor Restaurant was started with a grant received from Hernando De Soto's Institute for Liberty and Democracy.

References

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 ...

br>Resultados censales
{{Coord, 11, 50, 41, S, 76, 23, 10, W, region:PE_type:city, display=title Populated places in the Lima Region 1647 establishments in the Spanish Empire Populated places established in 1647