It is a city of the Peruvian coast, famous for its archaeological sites such as the complex of Chan Chan, a large adobe city considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and Huaca del Sol.

It is located in the Valley of Moche and Santa Catalina, crossed by the Moche river that flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city has a pleasant climate with low rainfall, with hot days and cool nights. The annual average temperature is 18° C, and has low rainfall throughout the year.

It is a city known for its cultural events, museums of zoology, archeology, history, religious art, among others. In Trujillo various festivals of Peruvian tradition are held, like the Marinera and the Concurso Regional de Caballo de Paso Peruano.

The city is renowned for its tradition of horse breeding, being considered Cultural Heritage of the Nation, besides the best saddle horse in the world because of its smooth ride. Here you can find the monument called the Mural de Caballos de Paso, which pays tribute to the riders of the area.

Trujillo has a historic center with colonial buildings, with attractive balconies and fenced windows with a lace style. There are also several religious buildings like the Cathedral of Trujillo, the Iglesia de la Merced, the church and monastery El Carmen, among others.

The area also has important archaeological heritage of the Moche and Chimu cultures in its apogee. Among them the most important are the Huaca del Sol and El Brujo Archaeological Complex, among others.

Besides this, it has important natural areas in the area of Huanchaco, such as wetlands or marshes, reed reserves; spas and the health resort of Moche, Las Delicias and Huanchaco. 

History

Within its territory several important cultures inhabited the area like the Mochica and Chimu, both developed before the Incas. The Huaca del Sol belong to the Moches, while the Chimu culture were the ones that built the citadel of Chan Chan, which corresponded to the capital of their kingdom.

In 1534, Diego de Almagro founded the city, turning it into a township and administrative capital of the area. Important temples like the Cathedral and other churches were built.

The city gained its independence in 1820, the first in Peru to achieve its liberty from Spain. 

Where to go

Chan Chan:

It is a pre-Columbian city built by the Chimu culture. It is the largest adobe city in Latin America and the world's second largest. Its name means shining sun. It is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

It is located 5 kilometers from the modern city of Trujillo and has streets and avenues to tour the areas, such as palaces, neighborhoods, water wells, talleros, among others.

It has is 20 square kilometers and a walled complex of buildings called NIk An, known for its reliefs depicting figures such as marine fish, waves, fishing nets and birds and aquatic animals.

Huacas del Sol y de la Luna:

This archaeological site corresponds to a shrine of the Moche culture. It is believed that the Huaca del Sol was an administrative building that was 43 meters high and had 5 terraces.

On the other hand the Huaca de la Luna had a religious purpose. It has 21 floors and was built in temples one on top of the other. Its ceremonial altar was used to make sacrifices. It was decorated with murals with the Mochica mythology characters like crabs with ceremonial knives, priests, fishermen, foxes and snakes, all related to the worship of water and fertility.

International Festival of the Marinera:

This Peruvian traditional cultural event is held every year in January. It is a marinera contest, which is the national dance of the country, where in addition to dance performances; a horse step competition is performed.

For this event, Trujillo was elected the National Capital of the Marinera, a national heritage of Peru. Within this festival the Queen of Marinera is elected and other artistic and cultural presentations are performed.

Huanchaco Health Resort:

It is the most visited place in Trujillo and recognized for its ceviche dish created by the Moche culture that inhabited the area.

Besides this, Huanchaco is famous for its international surfing competitions and traditional "caballitos de totora", hand-woven reed rafts to sail and fish, which were used by the Moche and Chimu.

Here the Longboard competiton is performed, a surfing competition that takes place on the beach of Elio, with the participation of surfers from around the world.

Huanchaco offers a vibrant nightlife with restaurants and bars, and a colorful celebration in the Carnival.

El Brujo Archeological site:

It is one of the most important archaeological sites in northern Peru. It corresponds to an ancient ceremonial center where various cultures inhabited the area.

It features a large pyramid of mud, 30 meters high, which was used for ceremonial purposes and sacrifices, plus 3 huacas: Huaca Prieta, Huaca Cao and Huaca Cortada. It is famous for being the place of the discovery of the mummy of an important leader of the Moche culture, the Lady of Cao, demonstrating the importance of women in a theocratic culture like that civilization.

Huanchaco Wetlands:

The Swamps of Huanchaco are a Chimu ecological reserve located 14 kilometers from Trujillo. From here the reed is removed, the material from which they fabricate the famos caballitos, which were used by the Moche culture for artisanal fishing.

To do

It is a colorful and lively city that offers many activities and choices for you to make.

From entertaining beaches recognized worldwide for the quality of its waves, to its gastronomy of the ceviche and an attractive historic center, to the celebrations of the Marinera, the Caballo de Paso and the feast of San Jose, Trujillo is one of the most important tourist destinations in Peru.

Besides this, in its surroundings it has several of the most important archaeological sites of the country such as the Chan Chan, the Temples of the Sun and Moon and the El Brujo archaeological site, providing an impressive display of the Moche and Chimu cultures that inhabited area.

In Trujillo can also see the famous reed caballitos, boats built by ancient cultures for boating and fishing and considered one of the earliest forms of surfing on the big waves of the northern coast of Peru.

This city allows you to learn about some of the most beautiful traditions of the country, as the typical dance of the marinera and the beautiful art of raising and training the Peruvian Paso horses.

Recommendations

Economy:

You can change money at banks and authorized exchange houses. A wide network of ATMs is found in the city and you can also use credit cards.

Transportation:

Transportation in the city is developed with minibuses, taxis and buses.

Trujillo has the Carlos Martinez de Pinillos International Airport, which receives mainly domestic flights mainly from the Jorge Chavez de Lima Ariport.

Communication:

The telephone code of Trujillo is 44. If calling from abroad, you must dial 51 before it, which corresponds to the international code of Peru.

Where and what to eat