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Trujillo Sights and Landmarks Guide, Peru

The enchanting town of Trujillo is a part of Peru where you will just love walking through its street and sitting on its benches. This is because the city is so lovely that it entices all its tourists, who just don’t wish to leave the city once they arrive here.

There are many things to see while in Trujillo, like the archeological remnants of the city of Chan-Chan found on the city outskirts, and its famous beaches. Huanchaco is a beach where you can find courageous fishermen heading for the seas on the delicate ‘Caballitos de Totora’, which is actually a customary pre-Inca vessel crafted from condensed reeds.

Trujillo Cathedral is located on the corner of Main Square, and was constructed in the year 1616. However it was damaged during the earthquakes of 1619 and 1635. You can find elaborate ‘retablos’ and canvases and sculptures that are hundreds of years old in the museum of the cathedral.

Example of Hispano-American art

This Cathedral was built by Iglesia del Carmen, which is thought to be one of the best archeological groups of the area depicting Hispano-American art. As the cathedral was constructed over an artificial brick platform, it is thought that there may be some underground tombs found here.

There are other temples you can visit in Trujillo like San Francisco which is famous for its altars on both sides of the aisle and it ‘retablos’ collection, the La Merced which is famous for its flat and perpendicular look and the Santa Clara which has an elegant golden altar.

The adobe city

The largest city to be built from adobe is the City of Chan-Chan. It is located in the Moche which is 4 km northwest of Trujillo. This is the old capital of the Chimu people who had settled here in between the 12th and 15th centuries.

The population is about 60 thousand and the area of the city is about 20 square kilometers. The most noticeable features of this city are its great walls having geometrical reliefs. In fact, this city, also known as the City of the Moon is comparable with Teotihuacan of Mexico and the timeworn cities of Egypt.

You can get a taste of the famous Trujillo mansion architecture in the House of Ganoza-Chopitea which has a polychromatic front, in its extravagant style. It also has a rococo front piece and two lions. To the south of Trujillo are the Huacas del Sol and de la Luna, which are the remnants of the administrative and traditional center of the Mochica center. This town had developed about a thousand years before the Spaniards had landed in Trujillo.

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