Trip to the city of Trujillo, the cultural capital of Peru, which features countless historical and archaeological attractions and a truly enchanting climate.
The modern history of the urban center of Trujillo it begins in the 700th century, with its foundation by the Spanish, although this area of Peru was characterized by important pre-Columbian settlements, of which fortunately the territory of Trujillo still retains numerous important traces. In the area where the municipality of Trujillo stands today, over XNUMX kilometers north of Lima, important native cultures developed prior to the arrival of Europeans, such as those of the Mochica and Chimu.
And it is precisely to the culture of Chimu that we owe the most important archaeological settlement of Trujillo and north-west Peru, namely the remains of the capital Chan Chan, which are located about 5 kilometers from the city center. The site of the Chimu capital represents the largest pre-Columbian urban area in all of South America, with an extension of over 20 square kilometers. The ancient capital Chan Chan was an important political and economic center and, in its period of maximum splendor, hosted up to one hundred thousand inhabitants.
This important city was probably founded in the 9th century AD by the Chimu civilization, who were then conquered by the Incas in the 15th century. The city of Chan Chan it consists of about ten walled citadels, with a rectangular plan, inside which there are the remains of homes of various sizes, temples and numerous mortuary chambers. In some of the citadels, very interesting wall decorations of various kinds have been found. This important archaeological site in Peru was included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites in 1986.
The Trujillo area is rich in archaeological sites, which allow you to admire the notable cultural and economic development achieved by the native populations of Peru: among the most important sites we point out the one relating to the temple of Huaca del Sol (temple of the Sun), a temple building made with typical adobe bricks by the Moche civilization, who most likely used it as an administrative center. Located near the desert coast of Trujillo, the temple of Huaca del Sol is located on the slopes of Cerro Blanco mountain and was unfortunately heavily plundered by European settlers.
Next to this important archaeological site, we find the ruins of the temple of Huaca of the Moon (temple of the Moon), a temple building smaller in size than the temple of the Sun, but better preserved. Huaca de la Luna was most likely used as a center for religious functions.
The temple of the Moon was also built of adobe bricks by the Moche civilization, and together with the temple of the Sun it belonged, according to archaeologists, to a city designated as White Hill. These temples are about 4 kilometers from the urban center of Trujillo and are located near the mouth of the Rio Moche.
The city center of Tujillo is characterized by a great variety of architectural styles, with numerous civil and religious monuments dating back to the colonial era and elegant late colonial and modern residential neighborhoods. The city is characterized by a very hot climate for most of the year, which is why it is often called the "city of eternal spring" in Peru! There are countless cultural activities in the city of Trujillo, home to numerous public and private universities, as well as important events linked to local culture.
