Santa, founded as ''Santa María de la Parrilla'', is a city on the north coast of
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 ...
located on the left bank of
Santa River, 2.6 km away of
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. It is the capital of
Santa District
Santa District is one of nine districts of the province Santa in Peru. Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática
The Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) ("National Institute of Statistics and Informatics") is a se ...
in the
homonymous province in the
Ancash Region
Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...
.
Towards 1527, there was an indigenous settlement named Saucha on the banks of the river, made up of houses built with reeds. On May 13, 1528 the Spanish expedition commander
Francisco Pizarro arrived, leaving two Spaniards in place to recognize the place and learn the local language. In 1531, the Spaniards built a small chapel in Saucha, and later, they moved inland to what would be known as Pueblo Nuevo, in relation to the "Old Town" of Saucha. The Spanish foundation was officially ordered on August 2, 1556 by
viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, with the title of city of Santa María de la Parrilla.
[Hist. Gen. España y América (1984), Tomo X vol. 2 pág. 528]
References
{{reflist, 35em
Populated places in the Ancash Region