Piura
San
Miguel de Piura was founded in 1532 by the Conquistadors,
the first Spanish city in Peru. With warm and
sunny climate year round, the city of Piura is
the capital of the Department of the same name.
Warm people, fertile fields, sunny beaches and
traditions are some of the highlights of this
hospitable land. The Department of Piura has a
beautiful coastline, and nice beach resorts.
This area has been dominated by several important
cultures. The Vicus and the Moche Cultures, then
the Sican Culture, later on it was dominated by
the Chimu culture and finally the Incas, a few
years before of the arrival of the Spanish troops.
Important Sights
Cerro Vicus
An important archaeological site, about 35km
SE of Piura with many ceramics, gold and silver
objects from the Vicus Culture.
Narihualį
4 Km SE of Catacaos. A fortress and place of
worship of the Tallan Culture.
Folk crafts
Some of the best folk crafts of Piura come from
the area of Catacaos, where you can get tooled
leather, gold and silver filigree jewelry, wooden
articles and straw hats. Also the area of Chulucanas
is famous for its work in clay.
Healing Center
About 300 Km from the city, in the highlands
of Piura at 4,000 m you find Las Huaringas,
a series of about 20 Lakes, considered the main
center of shamanistic healing in Peru, a very
popular destination for those seeking cure for
several illness.
Churches & Colonial Mansions
The Cathedral
Originally built in 1588, it has been remodeled.
With baroque holy scenes , gold covered altar
and beautiful paintings by Ignacio Merino.
San Francisco Church
A few blocks away from the Cathedral. The city's
independence from Spain was declared here, a
few months before Lima.
Casa Grau
Tacna 662. Birthplace of Admiral Miguel Grau,
hero of war. It has now been opened as a museum,
with beautiful salons and valuable belongings
of Admiral Grau. Open Mon-Fri 10:00 am - 3 p.m.
