Chachapoyas () is a city in northern

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 ...

at an elevation of 2,335 meters (7,661 ft). The city has a population of 32,026 people (

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 s ...

). Situated in the mountains far from the Peruvian coast, Chachapoyas remains fairly isolated from other regions of Peru. It is served by buses to Chiclayo and

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 ...

, and flights to domestic locations from

Chachapoyas Airport Chachapoyas Airport , is an airport serving the city of Chachapoyas in the Amazonas Region of Peru. The runway is on a mesa north of the city, with steep dropoffs on either end. The Chachapoyas VOR-DME (Ident: POY) is located on the field. A ...

. The city of Chachapoyas is the capital of the

Amazonas Region Amazonas () is a department and region in northern Peru bordered by Ecuador on the north and west, Cajamarca on the west, La Libertad on the south, and Loreto and San Martín on the east. Its capital is the city of Chachapoyas. With a lands ...

. It was founded on September 5, 1538, by the Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

Alonso de Alvarado Alonso de Alvarado Montaya González de Cevallos y Miranda (1500–1556) was a Spanish conquistador and knight of the Order of Santiago. He was born at Secadura de Trasmiera.Leon, P., 1998, The Discovery and Conquest of Peru, Chronicles o ...

"and his twenty". Local agriculture includes

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 stalk ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

and

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

growing. Chachapoyas' transitional location between the arid Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Central and the rainy, rainforested Cordillera Oriental, allow it to receive generally moderate annual precipitation without experiencing the copiously excessive, tropical-rainforest-like precipitation amounts in towns farther east such as Moyobamba.

History

Named San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas, the city was first established near La Jalca, and then near Levanto. The city's original locations were abandoned due to climate, disease and a lack of defenses against rebelling local groups. The location of the city changed several times, until it was settled in the place that it now occupies at 2334 m. At first the date of settlement had not been specified. It is believed that the Spanish colonials moved the city to its present location in 1545. The city still preserves its wide colonial casonas of big

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

s and lounges, with roofs made of tiles. Its Plaza de Armas is located to the west of the city and it is a perfect

quadrilateral In geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four edges (sides) and four corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''latus'', meaning "side". It is also called a tetragon, ...

of 100 m. per side. Located on the south side of the plaza is a monument to the "Hero of Arica", colonel Francisco Bolognesi. From the viceroyalty period dates the legend that the Indian chief Pantoja asked the

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 " ...

for permission to put a gold roof in his house. This and other treasures would be hidden in one of the 40 caves that surround the city.Kuélap, a mystical place that everyone should visit (in Spanish)
http://civa.com.pe At one time there was a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...

surrounded with totoras (a type of

bulrush Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **'' Scirpus'' **''Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **'' Scirpoides'' **'' Isolepis'' **'' Schoenoplectus'' **'' Trichophorum'' * T ...

) and

palm trees Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

. From these plants, wood was extracted to build the temples of the city. The Kuélap stadium now stands this location.

Geography

From the route of Bagua towards the Mayo River and Huallaga Central, a branch detaches itself, following the course of the Utcubamba River and leading to Chachapoyas. The city's geographical location has determined its isolation until recently, when better roads were constructed between Chachapoyas and the cities of the northern Peruvian coast. Chachapoyas is surrounded by extensive and matted wooded formations. During the rainy season, these formations are covered with a thick haze, from which the city's name may be derived (from the Quechua word: ''sachapuyos'', meaning "mount of haze"). Another interpretation of the name Chachapoyas is the one that alludes its meaning of "strong male". .

Climate

In this part of Peru, located in the eyebrow of the jungle, the climate is

subtropical highland An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

but ever humid, described by the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

as ''Cfb'', with an average temperature of 18 °C and an average

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

of 74 percent. However, in some areas the temperature can drop to 2 °C. Chachapoyas has a temperate climate and is moderately rainy. The annual average of maximum and minimum temperature (period 1960–1991) is 19.8 °C and 9.2 °C, respectively. Annual average precipitation accumulated for period 1960-1991 is 777.8 mm. Jiron Triunfo is the street which links the three principal plazas of the city. It is called by this name because the victorious Chachapoyans of the Higos Urco battle entered the city through here. Chacapoyas' transitional location between the arid Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Central and the rainy, rainforested Cordillera Oriental, allow it to receive a generally moderate annual precipitation amount without receiving the copiously excessive, tropical-rainforest-like precipitation amounts farther east in towns such as Moyobamba.

Tourist attractions

Independence Square

To the east of the city is the Independence Square. In this

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

there is a monument to the Chachapoyas heroes of the Higos Urco battle of June 6, 1821. It is said that Plaza Santa Ana was the first square in the city . Here the first church of Chachapoyas was built. People used to celebrate the San Juan de los Indios' festivities in this square with eight days of

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms w ...

Luya Urco

Luya Urqu ''(Luya Urco)'' is a hill located to the west of the city. In this place stands the well of Yana Yaku ''(Pozo de Yanayacu)'', originally known as the ''Fuente Cuyana''. The well was constructed in the same place in which, according to legend, Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo brought forth water from a rock, ending the drought that was plaguing the region. The legend of the well is that any man who drinks from its waters will be forever attracted by the charm of the city's women

Cuyana Fountain

This fountain of legend was in the skirt of Luya Urco hill and had two jets, one of good and one of evil. According to the legend, when a person drank water from the first jet, love was born, but from the second one hate or negligence was produced. In the city, it was said that the foreigner who drank from this "fountain of love", would be forever captivated by its beautiful women and its wonderful grounds that are full of delight.

The Lagoon

At one time there was a

surrounded with totoras (a type of

) and

. From these plants, wood was extracted to build the temples of the city. The Kuélap stadium is now in this location.

Legón Hill

Legón Hill is located in the town of Higos Urco, 2 km from the city.

Petroglyphs of Pitaya

An archaeological site with about 3,000 years old located 20 km from the city of Chachapoyas, in the Huancas district. It is about 30 graphic representations of various species of flora and fauna. Some of these images also refer to hunting days. To get there we must travel about 9 kilometers (20 min) by road northward from the center of Chachapoyas to the Huanca district, and finally we will have to walk an hour to find the famous Petroglyphs of Pitaya. Entrance to the site is free.

Notable people

* Pedro de Añazco, Jesuit missionary * Gisela Ortiz, human rights activist and politician *

Hernán Rengifo Hernán Rengifo Trigoso (born 18 April 1983) is a Peruvian footballer who plays as a striker in the Peruvian Primera División for Asociación Deportiva Tarma. Career In a successful UEFA Cup campaign in 2008-09 for Lech Poznań, Rengifo fini ...

, footballer * Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza, academic *

Blas Valera Blas Valera (1544-1597) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Jesuit Order in Peru, a historian, and a linguist. The son of a Spaniard and an indigenous woman, he was one of the first mestizo priests in Peru. He wrote a history of Peru titled ''H ...

, writer

References

External links

* *
Municipality of Chachapoyas
{{Authority control Populated places in the Amazonas Region Chachapoyas Districts Populated places established in 1538 1538 establishments in the Spanish Empire Regional capital cities in Peru