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Cajamarca conjures up images of fertile fields stretching along the
roadside and climbing up the hillsides and across the highland
plains and ravines.
The city of Cajamarca, considered the Historical and Cultural
Heritage of the Americas, was transformed by the Inca empire
into an important administrative, military and religious
center. On November 16, 1532, Cajamarca witnessed a key
date in the history of the Americas, when a band of Spanish
soldiers led by Conqueror Francisco Pizarro took Inca ruler
Atahualpa captive. The Spanish chroniclers claimed he filled
a chamber (the Ransom Room) with gold and twice over with
silver to as far as he could stretch his hand. Today a line
runs round the room showing where to what point the treasure
stacked up.
The city reflects Spanish influence in its architecture,
such as the Cathedral, the churches of San Francisco, Belén
and La Recoleta, and the two-storey houses with twin-eaved
roofs. To the east of the city lie the Baños del
Inca, the natural hot springs which the Inca ruler was fond
of. The district also features the Ventanillas de Otuzco,
a complex of burial caves carved out in pre-Inca times.
The province of San Pablo is home to two major archaeological
complexes: Cumbemayo, a set of ceremonial altars and Inca
aqueducts, and Kuntur Wasi, a ceremonial complex of several
squares and platforms held up by huge stone walls.
North of the city is Granja Porcón, a dairy farm
where travelers can take part in farming chores. The farm
is famous for its herd of cows which are still called by
name at milking time.
Carnival time in Cajamarca is among the most famous festivals
in February in Peru. The townspeople are an easy-going,
amiable folk, and carnival time involves entire neighborhoods
and institutions until the end of the festival, when the
participants symbolically bury Ño Carnavalón,
the king of the carnival. The celebrations go on for around
a month, but there are eight main days, when participants
are often doused with water. |
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