Huanchaco is a popular seaside resort city in

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of Trujillo,

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 ...

. Huanchaco is known for its surf breaks, its

caballitos de totora Caballitos de totora are reed watercraft used by fishermen in Peru for the past 3000 years, archaeologically evidenced from pottery shards. Named for the way they are ridden, straddled ('little reed horses' in English), fishermen use them to tran ...

and its

ceviche Ceviche () is a Peruvian dish typically made from fresh raw fish cured in fresh citrus juices, most commonly lime or lemon. It is also spiced with '' ají'', chili peppers or other seasonings, and julienned red onions, salt, and cilantro are al ...

, and is near the ancient ruins of

Chan Chan Chan Chan was the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America. It is now an archaeology, archaeological site in La Libertad Region west of Trujillo, Peru. Chan Chan is located in the mouth of the Moche Valley and was the capital of ...

. Huanchaco was approved as a World Surfing Reserve by the organization ''Save The Waves Coalition'' in 2012 This historic town is part of the tourist circuit called the " Moche Route" or "Ruta Moche".

History

Pre-Columbian era

Huanchaco's original population were indigenous fishermen, who worshipped the moon and a golden fish called Huaca Taska. Some accounts suggest the name "Huanchaco" originate from "Gua-Kocha, a Quechua word meaning "beautiful lake". During the period of the Chimú culture, 800 to 1400, Huanchaco was the port for

, which was established 4 km away. It was also the main port during Moche period, and was described by

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (12 April 1539 – 23 April 1616), born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa and known as El Inca, was a chronicler and writer born in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Sailing to Spain at 21, he was educated informally there, where he ...

as the preferred port of the Incas. Archaeologists led by Gabriel Prieto revealed the largest mass child sacrifice with more than 140 children skeleton and 200 Llamas dating to the Chimú culture after he was informed about some children had found bones in a dune nearby Prieto’s fieldwork in 2011. According to the researchers' notes in the study, there was cut marks on the sterna, or breastbones some of the children and the llamas. Children’s faces were smeared with a red pigment during the ceremony before their chests had been cut open, most likely to remove their hearts.Remains showed that these kids came from different regions and when the children and llamas were sacrificed, the area was drenched with water. “We have to remember that the Chimú had a very different world view than Westerners today. They also had very different concepts about death and the role each person plays in the cosmos, perhaps the victims went willingly as messengers to their gods, or perhaps Chimú society believed this was the only way to save more people from destruction” said anthropologists Ryan Williams.

Colonial era

Following the Spanish conquest of 1534, the Spanish town was founded as "Huanchaco" on January 1, 1535 by the Franciscan friar Alonso of Escarcena and Juan de Barbaran. Subsequently, Huanchaco functioned as the main port of Trujillo city, but the port closed in 1870. Two decades later Victor Larco Herrera rebuilt the pier exclusively for exporting sugar from businesses in the neighbouring Chicama valley, one of the most important areas of sugar production in the country.

Origin of Ceviche

According to Andrés Tinoco Rondan, an academic researcher at Ricardo Palma University, Huanchaco is the birthplace of the seafood dish

. Oral histories suggest ceviche was prepared with lemons from Simbal ( yunga village nearby), with chilli from the Moche River valley and seaweed extracted from the sea. In Huanchaco the ceviche is often served to tourists with the seaweed called cochayuyo or ''mococho'' which is taken from the shores of Huanchaco File:Cebiche-don-lucho.jpg, ''Typical dish of

in Huanchaco,
National Cultural Heritage by the Peruvian government''

Tourism

Huanchaco is visited by foreign tourists, particularly

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

. Several surf events are held and one of the most important each year in January is the ''Huanchaco longboard.'' Other nearby attractions include

, Mount Campana, a sacred mountain in the

Chimu Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture. The culture arose about 900 AD, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fifty y ...

culture and Pampas de Gramalote, a complex for shamanic experiences.

Surfing

In 2012 Huanchaco obtained approval as a World Surfing Reserve by the organization ''Save The Waves Coalition''. This designation is the first awarded to a

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

town and the fifth in the world. Huanchaco is notable not only for consistent, smooth waves, but also for being the birthplace of the

Caballito de totora Caballitos de totora are reed watercraft used by fishermen in Peru for the past 3000 years, archaeologically evidenced from pottery shards. Named for the way they are ridden, straddled ('little reed horses' in English), fishermen use them to tran ...

boat which is regarded as one of the first known surf crafts. Huanchaco's beaches offer smooth and consistent waves, as it is very exposed to all swells. The ''Huanchaco Longboard World Championships'' is a surfing competition that has taken place since 2010 at the ''El Elio Beach'' in Huanchaco, and brings together leading surfers of several countries of the world. File:Surfing en caballito de totora en Huanchaco.jpg,

Surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

in a

caballito de totora Caballitos de totora are reed watercraft used by fishermen in Peru for the past 3000 years, archaeologically evidenced from pottery shards. Named for the way they are ridden, straddled ('little reed horses' in English), fishermen use them to tran ...

in Huanchaco File:A Gang of Friendly Surfers in Huanchaco, Peru.jpg, A group of surfers in Huanchaco

Sandboarding

The sand dunes near the town of Laredo, close to Trujillo are a popular destination for

sandboarding Sandboarding is a boardsport and extreme sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding across or down a sand dune while standing on a board, either with both feet strapped in or while standing loose, without bindings. Sandboarding can als ...

Swamps of Huanchaco

Swamps of Huanchaco, also known as ''Wetlands of Huanchaco'' is an

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

located in Huanchaco Beach, about 14 km northwest of Trujillo city,

. From this ecological reserve the ancient mochica extracted the raw material for the manufacture of the ancient

Caballitos de totora Caballitos de totora are reed watercraft used by fishermen in Peru for the past 3000 years, archaeologically evidenced from pottery shards. Named for the way they are ridden, straddled ('little reed horses' in English), fishermen use them to tran ...

used since the time of the Moche for fishing. Currently Huanchaco fishermen still use materials from these swamps to make the traditional boats

Festivals

* Carnival of Huanchaco, this

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

has been held since the beginning of the 20th century. Originally villagers performed a carnival emulating the famous Venetian Carnival of the time. Later it became organized by the Club Huanchaco, and now consists of several activities including the crowning of the queen, surf contest, luau party, creativity in the sand, championships of Caballito de totora, and the carnival parade among. In 2012 the carnival parade was held on 25 February. *San Pedro, the patron

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

of fishermen at sea, is also called "San Pedrito"; in Huanchaco it is made a traditional "Patacho" which is a giant reed horse. It is celebrated in the month of June.

References

External links

Location of Huanchaco (Wikimapia)"Huaca de la luna and Huaca del sol""Huacas del Sol y de la Luna Archaeological Complex"
Official Website
Information on El Brujo Archaeological ComplexChan Chan World Heritage Site
UNESCO
Chan Chan conservation projectWebsite about Trujillo, Reviews, Events, Business Directory
* http://www.huanchacovivo.com

Multimedia

*
Gallery of Huanchaco
by

Panoramio Panoramio was a geo-located tagging, photo sharing mashup active between 2005 and 2016. Photos uploaded to the site were accessible as a layer in Google Earth and Google Maps. The site's goal was to allow Google Earth users to learn more about ...

, with information of several authors. * * *
Gallery pictures
by

, Includes Geographical information by various authors
Colonial Trujillo photos
{{Authority control Beaches of Peru Surfing locations Surfing locations in Peru Fishing communities Beaches of Trujillo, Peru Cities in La Libertad Region Localities of Trujillo, Peru