Cruise ships come to Salaverry so their passengers can tour the ruins of he old Citadel of Chan Chan in Trujillo. It is the largest adobe city of the ancient world. In 1986, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chan Chan was once the capital of Peru’s largest pre-Inca empire. Now it is reduced to about 5,000 acres of eroded adobe.
The Chimu people were one of three primary cultures developing in the area. They came into dominance around 900 AD and flourished well into the 14th century. It is estimated that at least 100,000 people lived in Chan Chan. But in 1470, the Inca ruler Tupac Inca Yupanqui conquered the Chimu.
In January of 2014, we visited the ruins of Chan Chan.Chan Chan is the largest adobe city of the ancient world.Chan Chan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.This is all made from the local sand, clay, fiber and water. It has survived since 900 AD!After the Chan Chan tour, we stopped at Huachaco Beach on our way back to the ship.After a hot and humid day of touring, this was a marvelous place to stop. The breeze was refreshing!Here, we saw the Reed Boats (called Caballitos or “little horses”.) They are made from Totora reeds, grown north of Huanchaco in the coastal wetlands. They are primarily used for fishing. They only last about a month before becoming waterlogged.These reed boats look a little precarious! But it is said they may be the first form of surfing!
We had toured Chan Chan in 2014 (the above photos are from that time) so we did not visit today. Instead, we opted to taxi into the city of Trujillo. The ship provided a shuttle. But we chose to go by taxi with others and paid a total of US $30.00 for the round trip. The driver dropped us off at Plaza de Armas and came back for us 2 hours later. It was about a ½ hour drive each way.
Trujillo was one of the first cities in the Americas. Founded by the Spanish conquistador, Diego de Almagro in 1534, Trujillo had grown to 300 homes and 1,000 inhabitants by 1544 with a booming economy based on sugar cane, wheat, and cattle.
Trujillo is considered the “First Independent City of Peru”. It proclaimed independence from Spain on December 24, 1820. The “Freedom Monument” in Plaza de Armas commemorates the event.
Today, we visited the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo.The Freedom Monument represents Peru’s independence process. It was created in Germany. The sculptor was Edmund Moeller.The Cathedral of Trujillo. The blue building next door is the Cathedral Museum.City Hall (Municipalidad Provincal de Trujillo.)Looking at Pizzarro Road, a main shopping street.You can find a McDonalds just about everywhere! That white building on the corner is it!The former Hotel Libertador Trujillo, now owned by Costa Del Sol Hotels.Our typical afternoon libation in the Hotel Libertador Bar. We are drinking Cusquena Beer, said to be Peru’s most popular beer.Iglasia La Campania, one of the 100s of churches in Trujillo.The local police protecting the tourists along with their K-9 companions.
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