Chacamarca Historic Sanctuary (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Santuario Histórico de Chacamarca''), is a historical site in

Junín Province Junín Province is a province in northwestern Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. Its capital is the city of Junín. Geography The territory of the province is mountainous and it includes Lake Junin which is the largest lake entire ...

, Junín,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. The sanctuary protects the site of the

Battle of Junín The Battle of Junín was a military engagement of the Peruvian War of Independence, fought in the highlands of the Junín Region on 6 August 1824. The preceding February the royalists had regained control of Lima, and having regrouped in Trujil ...

and archaeological remains of the Pumpush culture.

History

Prior to the arrival of the conquistadors, the area was occupied by the Pumpush and the Yarovilca cultures and after them, the

Incas 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 adm ...

. The Incas occupied the area gradually and integrated it to the rest of the empire through the Capac Ñan (Inca road system). As a result, an Inca settlement flourished at Chacamarca. The Battle of Junín, which was fought on 6 August 1824, is regarded as one of the definite episodes in the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution an ...

, which helped to bring to an end the Spanish rule in Peru and the Americas. The historical sanctuary was established on 7 August 1974, to preserve the historic site of the Battle of Junín, by a decree during the dictatorship of General Juan Velasco Alvarado.

Geography

This historic landmark is located at 4105 m of elevation in a high andean plain known as ''Pampa de Junín''. The historic sanctuary spans an area of .

Climate

The area has an annual average temperature of 4.8 °C. The rainy season spans from October to April; with an annual average precipitacion of 800 mm.

Ecology

Flora

The sanctuary also protects part of the puna ecosystem, comprising grasslands and wetlands. Native plant species found at the site include: ''

Festuca ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ever ...

dolychophylla'', ''

Jarava ichu ''Jarava ichu'', commonly known as Peruvian feathergrass, ''ichhu'', ''paja brava'', ''paja ichu'', or simply ''ichu'' (Quechua for straw), is a grass species in the family Poaceae native to the Americas. It is found growing in a vast area: Mex ...

'', '' Calamagrostris vicunarum'', ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

'' ''ecuadorica'', ''

Alchemilla ''Alchemilla'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Rosaceae, with the common name lady's mantle applied generically as well as specifically to ''Alchemilla mollis'' when referred to as a garden plant. The plant used as a herb ...

pinnata'', ''

Trichophorum ''Trichophorum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. Plants in this genus are known as deergrasses in Britain but are sometimes known as bulrushes in North America. It contains the following species: * '' Trichophorum ...

rigidum'', ''

Astragalus ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to tempe ...

garbancillo'', ''Distichia muscoides,

Plantago rigida ''Plantago rigida'', colloquially known as "Colchón de agua" (water mattress), is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family found in the high-altitude páramo biome of South America. Distribution Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Ven ...

'', ''

Werneria ''Werneria'', also known as the torrent toads or smalltongue toads, is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae. They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon), with the greatest species richness in th ...

nubigena'', ''Hypochaeris taraxacoides'', ''

Erythranthe ''Erythranthe'', the monkey-flowers and musk-flowers, is a diverse plant genus with more than 120 members (as of 2022) in the family Phrymaceae. ''Erythranthe'' was originally described as a separate genus, then generally regarded as a section ...

glabrata'', ''

Gentiana sedifolia ''Gentiana sedifolia'' is a species of plant in the family Gentianaceae. It can be found from Costa Rica to northern Chile. Description Small herbs with narrow, opposite leaves; leaves up to 0.7 cm long. Small funnel shaped flowers up to 1& ...

'', ''

Luzula ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropi ...

peruviana'', ''Acaulimalva crenata'', ''

Hordeum ''Hordeum'' is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the grass family. They are native throughout the temperate regions of Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas. One species, ''Hordeum vulgare'' (barley), has become of major commercial importan ...

muticum'', ''

Aciachne ''Aciachne'' is a genus of Latin American plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Aciachne acicularis'' Laegaard - Costa Rica, Venezuela (Táchira, Mérida), Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina ( Catamarca) * '' Aciachne flagelli ...

pulvinata'', '' Azorella diapensioides'', ''

Solanum ''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanaceae ...

acaule'', etc.

Fauna

Bird species protected in the sanctuary include: the

Puna tinamou The puna tinamou (''Tinamotis pentlandii'') also known as Pentland's tinamou, is a member of the most ancient groups of bird families, the tinamous. This species is native to southern South America.Clements, J. (2007) The binomial name of the spec ...

, the

Andean goose The Andean goose (''Chloephaga melanoptera'') is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the bird ...

, the

Andean flicker The Andean flicker (''Colaptes rupicola'') is a South American species of woodpecker. It is found in grassland, shrubland and '' Polylepis'' woodland at altitudes of in the Puna ecoregion. Together with the campo flicker and ground woodpecker ...

, the Puna ibis, the chiguanco thrush, the Andean lapwing, the

aplomado falcon The aplomado falcon (''Falco femoralis'') is a medium-sized falcon of the Americas. The species' largest contiguous range is in South America, but not in the deep interior Amazon Basin. It was long known as ''Falco fusco-coerulescens'' or ''Fal ...

, ''

Cinclodes ''Cinclodes'' is a genus of passerine birds belonging to the ovenbird family Furnariidae. There are about a dozen species distributed across the southern and Andean regions of South America. They are terrestrial birds of open habitats, typical ...

'' spp.,

Raimondi's yellow finch Raimondi's yellow finch (''Sicalis raimondii'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to coastal Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. Refe ...

, the variable hawk, ''

Anas ''Anas'' is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes the pintails, most teals, and the mallard and its close relatives. It formerly included additional species but following the publication of a molecular phylogenetic study in 2009 the genus was s ...

'' spp., the

Andean hillstar The Andean hillstar (''Oreotrochilus estella'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Bi ...

, the black-winged ground dove, etc. Among the mammals reported in the area are: the

vicuña The vicuña (''Lama vicugna'') or vicuna (both , very rarely spelled ''vicugna'', its former genus name) is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes, the other being the guanaco, which live ...

Molina's hog-nosed skunk Molina's hog-nosed skunk, also called the Andes skunk (''Conepatus chinga''), is a skunk species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western ...

, the Andean fox, and the montane guinea pig.

Activities

It is possible to visit the site and have a panoramic view of the plains from two hills inside the sanctuary. There are also archeological sites inside the sanctuary, like the colcas, which were Inca warehouses that once stored food and other goods.

Environmental issues

Land tenure conflict with surrounding communities; livestock grazing; illegal hunting; illegal plant extraction and garbage dumping next to the sanctuary are the main issues that threaten the local biodiversity and the preservation of the site.

References

External links

Chacamarca Historic Sanctuary. Official site (in Spanish).

Chacamarca Historic Sanctuary. Official map.
{{Natural and Cultural Peruvian Heritage Archaeological sites in Junín Region Archaeological sites in Peru