Many times before planning a trip we ask ourselves, what to see in Trujillo or what to do in Trujillo.
Trujillo, capital city of the region of La Libertad, known as ''The City of the Eternal Spring'' with a warm climate with an average annual temperature of 20ºC.
There is very little rainfall (except during the El Niño phenomenon, when Trujillo experiences heavy rains).
It is located on the northern coast of Peru, has natural resources such as beautiful beaches, colonial architecture in its city, archaeological sites of pre-Inca culture, traditions and folklore as the Marinera Norteña. Trujillo is a must visit destination in the Peruvian North.
Below, we show you what to see in Trujillo:
Table of Contents
The main square of the city of Trujillo is the most important historical scene of this city, it is in this same place that the Spanish foundation of the city took place in 1534.
It is located in the middle of its historic center, surrounded by other important architectural monuments such as the cathedral and the archbishopric.
In the center of the square stands the statue of liberty, a monument consisting of 3 bodies designed by the sculptor Edmund MÖller.
This monument has a special iconography, at the base there is a pedestal base with 4 sculptures representing art, science, commerce and health.
In the second body there are 3 robust men representing oppression and slavery, the emancipation struggle and finally freedom.
Also at the base of the monument there are 3 plaques that commemorate the declaration of independence of Trujillo by Torre Tagle in 1820, the second commemorates the battle of Junin and the third the battle of Ayacucho.
The archaeological site of El Brujo is located on the banks of the Chicama River very close to the Peruvian sea.
These constructions were made by the pre-Inca Moche culture, which developed from approximately 100 to 750 A.D. in the Late Intermediate period.
According to archaeological studies, it has been determined that the Moches practiced urban parameters for their main temples guided by the ideology of duality, so the most prominent pyramids are aligned but separated by a large flat and empty space.
Examples of this are the pyramids of Cao Viejo and Huaca Cortada, as well as the Huaca del and La Luna.
Regarding its social organization, for a long time it was believed that only men could access positions of political power until May 15, 2006.
The greatest discovery was made, the funeral bundle of a Moche ruler adorned with gold and copper plates, the surprise was greater when opening the bundle and finding a woman with multiple tattoos of snakes, crocodiles and spiders on her body.
A large gold crown with a feline figure in the middle, as well as necklaces and 44 gold and silver nose rings, which denoted a position of ruling elite and possibly a fortune teller position due to the magical connotation represented by the animals in her tattoos.
The finding of this mummy together with her funerary trousseau composed of crowns, jewelry, mantles with gold plates, wooden truncheons lined with gold, stomachs and servants buried around her, make it evident that she was a woman of great power, a possible Moche ruler who lived until she was approximately 25 years old, 150 years after the Lord of Sipan.
The huaca of the sun is a pyramid located only 6 km from the beaches of Trujillo, a rectangular construction that would have been one of the most important. During the period of extirpation of idolatries in the time of the colony, the Moche river was diverted to the temple in order to open it to find treasures inside, unfortunately this has nothing inside, but the diverted river took almost half of the construction.
The huaca of La Luna, located two kilometers away, is a construction in which the remains of 40 sacrificed soldiers were found, as well as murals of the Moche God ''Ai Apaec, The Slaughtering God'',
The Huaca Arco Iris or also called La Huaca Dragon, probably the first Wari settlement in this area, with an antiquity of almost 1100 years, covers a space of 3,245 m2. Its walls are decorated in relief with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic beings, especially the figure of a two-headed creature with numerous legs.
According to the investigations, the function of this place would be the ceremonies related to fertility.
The Huaca Esmeralda is a Chimú construction, which according to theories would have been the palace of a ruler. Unfortunately in the Huaca Esmeralda no recovery work has been done so the state of the temple is not good, however, you can still see on its walls decorated with geometric figures nets, and zoomorphic figures such as sea otters and fish.
This archaeological complex was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is the largest mud citadel in America, made up of 9 small internal citadels, whose streets and passageways lead to squares, terraces and truncated pyramids, denoting the high level of urban planning of the Chimús.
Settlements for domestic and commercial use, textile and ceramic centers were found, as well as 140 water wells that supplied water to the city.
Huanchaco is a seaside resort that is currently part of ''The Moche Route'', recognized as a Surf Reserve, the first in South America. Famous and known for its caballitos de Totora, boats made of totora reeds and used for navigation and fishing by the Moche and Chimu culture, currently still continues this ancient tradition on the beaches of Trujillo.
These caballitos de totora are now considered the precursors of surfing, a sport that is also practiced in these seas.
Pacasmayo is a seaside resort that stands out for the Pacasmayo pier and the Grau boardwalk. But undoubtedly its most important attraction is the Faro beach, as it has become the point of greatest influx of tourists who want to practice sports such as kayaking, enjoying the Faro breaker today called ''The longest navigable wave in the world''.
