Yurimaguas is a port town in the

Loreto Region Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to its remote location in the Ama ...

of the northeastern

Peruvian Amazon Peruvian Amazonia ( es, Amazonía del Perú) is the area of the Amazon rainforest included within the country of Peru, from east of the Andes to the borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia. This region comprises 60% of the country and ...

. Historically associated with the

Mainas missions The Mainas (or Maynas) missions refers to a large number of small Spanish missions in the Americas, missions the Jesuits established in the western Amazon rainforest, Amazon region of South America from 1638 until 1767, when the Jesuits were Su ...

, the culturally diverse town is affectionately known as the "Pearl of the Huallaga" (''Perla del Huallaga''). Yurimaguas is located at the confluence of the majestic Huallaga and Paranapura Rivers in the steamy

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

of northeastern

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 ...

. It is the capital of both

Alto Amazonas Province The Alto Amazonas Province is one of the eight provinces in the Loreto Region of Peru. Located in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon Peruvian Amazonia ( es, Amazonía del Perú) is the area of the Amazon rainforest included within the country o ...

and Yurimaguas District, and had a population estimated at about 62,903 inhabitants (

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

). With a long and illustrious history, Yurimaguas is a tourist destination, especially during the August 15 annual Catholic festival of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

. Long dominated by the presence of the Church, the town is home to the Apostolic Vicariate of Yurimaguas,

. Visited in 1855 by the famed botanist Richard Spruce

Yurimaguas remains an important commercial center for

subsistence A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing, shelter) rather than to the market. Henceforth, "subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself at a minimum level. Often, the subsistence econo ...

and market oriented farmers or ''ribereños'' (who cultivate

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...

and other comestible produce) and fishermen. Yurimaguas is notable for being the last urban center in Loreto connected by highway with the rest of

: a recently paved road links Yurimaguas with Tarapoto and Moyobamba, located in the tropical Andes (''high-jungle''), or as it is known in the vernacular, the ''montaña''. While the

Moisés Benzaquén Rengifo Airport Moisés Benzaquén Rengifo Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Moisés Benzaquén Rengifo) is an airport serving Yurimaguas, a town on the Huallaga River in the Loreto Region of Peru. It is owned and operated by CORPAC S.A., a civil government agency. It ...

was first established in Yurimaguas in 1937, it is now barely functioning (the collapse of the Peruvian airline

Aero Continente Nuevo Continente was a passenger airline based in Lima, Peru, operating scheduled domestic and international flights out of Jorge Chavez International Airport. History The airline was founded by Fernando Zevallos in 1992 as ''Aero Conti ...

left only two airlines serving the airport). For the majority of the populace, transit is dominated by river travel. In the ports of Yurimaguas trade is in tropical forest produce, particularly hardwoods,

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...

, and goods (licit and otherwise) from the Andean highlands or Pacific Coast sent down-river to

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the ninth-most populous city of Peru. Iquitos is the largest city in the world th ...

and beyond (the Port Authority of Yurimaguas, ENAPU is in charge of the International ''Puerto de Yurimaguas, Peru''). Yurimaguas boasts a magnificent Cathedral built by the Passionist Order, and modeled after the Cathedral in

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

, Spain.

References

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in the Loreto Region Port cities and towns in Peru Upper Amazon