Located in the northern highlands of Peru and is the capital of the Cajamarca region. It is approximately 2,700 m (8,900 ft) above sea.
Climate
Is mild, dry and sunny, which creates very fertile soil. The city is well-known for its cheeses and dairy products. Cajamarca is also known for its churches, and hot springs, or Inca Baths. There are also several active mining sites in surrounding areas. Most of all, Peruvians remember Cajamarca as the place where the Inca Empire came to an end; the Battle of Cajamarca and the capture and execution of the Incan emperor Atahualpa took place here.
Cajamarca’s place in history is secured by the events of 1532. Atahualpa had beaten his brother Huáscar in a battle for the Inca throne in Quito. Francisco Pizarro and his 168 soldiers met Atahualpa here after weeks of marching from Piura. Atahualpa refused, effectively giving Pizarro the excuse to declare the Inca an enemy of the Church and Spain. Audaciously, the Spanish Conquistadors captured Atahualpa in the Battle of Cajamarca, massacring several thousand unarmed Inca civilians and soldiers.
TOURIST PLACES IN CAJAMARCA
Celendín
One of the best urban destinations to visit if you go to the region of Cajamarca, is the beautiful and picturesque city of Celendín. This city, which is located in the province of the same name, is the capital of the province, and is considered one of the most beautiful small cities in Peru. Celendín is also the city that has the best services within the province in which it is located.
Among the tourist attractions of the city of Celendín are resources such as: the Main Square of the city, which is considered one of the largest within the Peruvian territory. Around this square is the main church of the city, that is the Virgen del Carmen Cathedral, which is flanked by two beautiful towers. Inside this church, there is a more than interesting piece of sculpture that recreates the crucified Christ and which is said to have been forged on the bones of a young man who belonged to the order.
Among the natural attractions within the city are spaces such as the Mirador San Isidro, which rises to the west of this city. Another natural viewpoint in the area is Cerro Jelij, which, in addition to observing the entire city, allows the splendor of the fertile valley that surrounds Celendín.
In this city, the Sunday fairs are also interesting tourist spots. These fairs allow farmers, artisans, and other merchants to exhibit their products in orderly stands; in such a way that they can be easily acquired by the attendees.
Chota
Chota is a province located in the department and region of Cajamarca. It was founded as such in 1552, a first of November, presenting as capital the province of the same name.
Initially the territory of Chota was inhabited by the peoples of the Huambos, among other cultures, so that later, during the Inca expansionist period, in the period of government of the Inca Túpac Yupanqui, it became part of the tribes submitted to the Empire. It was only founded in 1552, when its present capital city was founded by the Spaniards, although there are different dates in relation to its foundation and independence.
Regarding tourism, there are several interesting attractions both in the capital city itself and in the surrounding area, among which we can mention: Plaza de Armas de Chota, El Mirador, Plaza de Toros “El Vizcaíno”, Cerro Cruz del Siglo, Tuctuhuasi Valley, Chullpas de Negropampa, Gruta de Negropampa, Chullpas of Chetilla, Chullpas of Churucancha, Thermal Baths of Chancay, etc.
Cumbemayo
The archaeological complex of Cumbemayo is located in the district of Cajamarca, in the province, department and region of the same name. At an altitude of approximately 3 500 meters above sea level. It is conformed of at least 3 archaeological sets, being the oldest some aqueducts whose dating would be in the year 1000 before our era and that are known as the Channel of Cumbemayo.
The site is considered Cultural Patrimony of the Nation. It was discovered by Ernesto de la Puente in 1937 and is considered by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio César Tello as an important vestige left by the Marañón culture.
The interesting thing about the Cumbemayo Canal, besides its dating, is that it is capable of transporting water upwards for at least 8 kilometers. Along with this it is important to note that at least 57% of this channel is carved in stone about 35 to 50 centimeters wide, accompanied by stripes and angles of 90 ª to reduce the speed of the flow of water.
Granja Porcon
Granja Porcón is a Peruvian town located in the region Cajamarca, province of Cajamarca, district of Cajamarca. It is located at an altitude of 3152 meters above sea level. It has a population of 480 inhabitants. In 1993, it was created as an evangelical cooperative in 1975 by the members of the “Atahualpa Jerusalem”.
It is located 30 kilometers from the city of Cajamarca. It has a zoo that protects a large number of animals from possible extinction. The locality is surrounded by a forest of pátula pines, radiate and seudostrobus, as well as the native quinual and aliso. In the place you can find dairy products and handicrafts.
Kuntur Wasi
Pre-Hispanic ceremonial center whose antiquity dates back to 1100 B.C. It stands on a series of platforms and superimposed squares and there are several enclosures and buildings that are supported by large stone walls. Different moments of occupation have been identified. Around the year 700 B.C. a great cultural change took place and the complex was totally covered by earth and stones by the same inhabitants, to build a new ceremonial complex of greater dimensions. Around 250 B.C., the ceremonial center suffered great destruction and the site was abandoned. The social center was moved to the site Cerro Blanco, where there are several constructions of this time. After the destruction, Kuntur Wasi was never occupied again.
Since 1988, the archaeological mission of the University of Tokyo and community groups in the area have been studying the cultural tradition reflected in Kuntur Wasi. Among the most important findings are burials, consisting of corpses covered with red dyes and surrounded by offerings and various objects.
The Cutervo Province
Is one of the thirteen that make up the Cajamarca Region of Peru. It has a population of 162,686 and an area 3,028.46 square kilometers.
Cutervo National Park:
Is the oldest National Park in Peru. It was established September 8, 1961 by means of Law N° 13964 by the Peruvian Government as the first protected natural area created. Its creator was Salomon Vilchez Murga (1907-1993), a recognized Biologist who was born in Cutervo, Peru. The park is located in the San Andrés de Cutervo District, Cutervo Province, Cajamarca. There are lots of caves in this park including San Andres Cave, where the guacharo lives – a bird in danger of extinction.
Otuzco
The province of Otuzco is located in the department and region of La Libertad. The province initially arose as a town, in the middle of the 16th century when the Augustinian monks arrived in the area with the intention of Christianizing it, with the passing of the years it will evolve to the quality of Villa during the Colony, to become a city in the first years of independence, although its consolidation as such will only occur towards the end of the 19th century and its ascension as a province only in April 1861.
Windows of Otuzco
The Ventanillas de Otuzco, also called Necropolis of Otuzco, are funerary buildings that by their shape seem to be windows, hence their nomination of Ventanillas. These are located in the town center of Otuzco, in the district of Cajamarca (8 kilometers away), in the province and department of the same name; located in the hill Llanguil. At an altitude of 2850 meters above sea level and would have been built in the first centuries of our era. It is considered Cultural Patrimony of Peru.
Archeological
It is a cemetery built, like the Ventanillas de Combayo, by the Cajamarca Culture. In this one is observed, to architectural level the work of excavations that have been realized in alive rock (trachyte rock) in the farallones of the same hill and that, like its homologous construction in the hill San Cristóbal, is divided in superimposed rows of niches. These niches, in turn, are presented in two ways: simple, where only a quadrangular or rectangular structure is observed; and in the form of galleries, that is to say niches connected inside, to each other. It is possible to mention that in this construction also the presence of gutters is observed, these would be present with aims of conservation of the niches since they would avoid, by means of their end of drainage, that the humidity caused by the embedded water of the rains damaged to sobremanera the edification.
The cavity of the niches is of approximately 50 to 60 centimeters, although the connected sets present a total of between 8 to 10 meters deep. It is believed that at ornamental level they could have had originally tombstone with the presence of reliefs, although in itself the work of the niches already represents an excellent artisan work.
It is believed that the remains found in this necropolis had been previously exhumed and transferred, since the bone remains observed in the excavations give evidence of having been cleaned in advance. Places like this would have meant for the Cajamarca culture, not only a funerary place, but also a ritual, a symbol of its cult to the dead and ancestors.