Huamachuco

{{more citations needed|date=March 2012}} {{Infobox settlement |official_name = Huamachuco |other_name = |native_name =  |nickname = |motto = |image_skyline = Bienvenidos a Huamachuco.jpg |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_flag = Bandera Huamachuco.svg |flag_size = |image_seal = Escudo Huamachuco.png |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |city_logo = |citylogo_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |pushpin_map = Peru |pushpin_label_position = left |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{PER}} |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_name1 = La Libertad |subdivision_type2 = Province |subdivision_name2 = Sánchez Carrión |subdivision_type3 = District |subdivision_name3 = Huamachuco |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |government_type = |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = Benito Robert Contreras Morales |leader_title1 =  |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title = |established_date = |established_title2 =  |established_date2 = |established_title3 =  |established_date3 = |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =  |area_footnotes = |area_total = |area_land = |area_water = |TotalArea_sq_mi = |LandArea_sq_mi = |WaterArea_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban = |UrbanArea_sq_mi = |area_metro = |MetroArea_sq_mi = |pop_est_as_of =2015 |pop_est_footnotes =<ref>{{cite report |url=http://proyectos.inei.gob.pe/web/biblioineipub/bancopub/Est/Lib1020/cuadros/c0206.xls |title=Perú: Población estimada al 30 de junio y tasa de crecimiento de las ciudades capitales, por departamento, 2011 y 2015 |work=Perú: Estimaciones y proyecciones de población total por sexo de las principales ciudades, 2012-2015 |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática |date=March 2012 |access-date=2015-06-03}}</ref> |population_est =39806 |population_as_of = |population_footnotes = |population_note = |settlement_type = Town  |population_total = |population_density = |population_density_mi2 = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_mi2 = |population_urban = |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_mi2 = |timezone = PET |utc_offset = -5 |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = {{coord|7|48|43.3|S|78|02|55.3|W|region:PE|display=inline}} |elevation_footnotes =  |elevation_m = 3169 |elevation_ft = |postal_code_type =  |postal_code = |area_code = |website = {{official website|http://www.munihuamachuco.gob.pe/}} |footnotes = }} thumb|right|250px|Panoramic view of the city of Huamachuco [[File:Andes mountains (Huamachuco).jpg|thumb|right|250px|View of the nearby Andes and farmland]] thumb|right|250px|The square ''Plaza Mayor''

'''Huamachuco''' (possibly from Quechua ''waman'' meaning "falcon" or "variable hawk", and Culli ''chuco'' meaning "earth" or "land", thus "land of falcons") is a town in northern Peru and capital of the province of Sánchez Carrión in La Libertad Region. The city is the seat of the Territorial Prelature of Huamachuco. Lake Sausacocha lies to the northeast.

About {{convert|30|mi|km|order=flip}} away, within the Huamachuco district, is the significant pre-Columbian archeological site of Marcahuamachuco. It is a complex of monuments that are the remnants of a prehistoric political and religious center of a culture that thrived 350 CE–1100 CE. The ruins of a Wari city, Viracochapampa, are located 3.5 km north of Huamachuco. Additionally there are many other pre-Columbian ruins around the town.

== History == The area surrounding the town exhibits evidence of early occupation by several ancient Andean civilizations. Prior to the Inca, the area was united under a single political entity referred to as the ''Señorio de Huamachuco'' (Huamachuco lordship) by colonial chroniclers,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mora|first=César Gálvez|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=01VSDwAAQBAJ|title=Patrimonio cultural del Perú: Humanidad andina|last2=Rochietti|first2=Ana|date=2018-03-20|publisher=Eduvim|isbn=978-987-699-220-6|pages=176|language=es}}</ref> a Culli-speaking polity that had as their main deity the thunder god Catequil, who was an oracle and the principal ''wak'a'' of the Huamachucos. Catequil was later incorporated into the official Inca pantheon, whose shrine was located in the center of the Huamachuco territory. Archaeologists have identified the mountain of Cerro Icchal with Catequil (both as the seat of the ''wak'a'' and as the ''wak'a'' himself),<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mujica|first=Sonia Alconini|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qmZRDwAAQBAJ|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Incas|last2=Covey|first2=Alan|date=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-021935-2|pages=526|language=en}}</ref> and the ruins of Namanchugo, Catequil's main sanctuary,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mujica|first=Sonia Alconini|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qmZRDwAAQBAJ|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Incas|last2=Covey|first2=Alan|date=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-021935-2|pages=527|language=en}}</ref> are situated at the foot of Cerro Icchal. Although it was largely destroyed by Atawallpa<ref>{{Cite book|last=Greenblatt|first=Stephen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EeTIwLR8aj8C&pg=PA110|title=New World Encounters|publisher=University of California|date=1993-03-12|isbn=978-0-520-08021-8|pages=110}}</ref> and colonial priests, its magnificence and importance was recorded by colonial chroniclers. Catequil was a famous god venerated throughout the northern Peruvian highlands and beyond since pre-Inca times,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1OdrAAAAMAAJ|title=Cultura andina y sentido común: norte del Perú|date=2006|publisher=Industria Gráfica Libertad SAC|language=es}}</ref> and pilgrims seeking to find answers were one of the main sources of income to the Huamachucos. The shrine's prosperity is perhaps one of the reasons why the area surrounding Huamachuco does not seem to have been seriously affected, as large parts of the Peruvian highlands were, by the demographic collapse following the Wari state's demise and the end of the Middle Horizon era;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.doaks.org/newsletter/upcoming-scholarly-event-2|title=Upcoming Scholarly Event|last=noahm|website=Dumbarton Oaks|language=en|access-date=2020-03-30}}</ref> rather, population growth appears to be continuous in the area.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marcus|first=Joyce|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MWmRDwAAQBAJ|title=Andean Civilization: A Tribute to Michael E. Moseley|last2=Williams|first2=Patrick Ryan|date=2009-12-31|publisher=ISD LLC|isbn=978-1-938770-36-4|pages=235|language=en}}</ref>

Indigenous settlement patterns within the Huamachuco area can be divided into eight phases:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marcus|first=Joyce|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MWmRDwAAQBAJ|title=Andean Civilization: A Tribute to Michael E. Moseley|last2=Williams|first2=Patrick Ryan|date=2009-12-31|publisher=ISD LLC|isbn=978-1-938770-36-4|pages=211–240|language=en}}</ref> *Colpa phase (? to 900 BC) *Sausagocha phase (900 – 200 BC) *Purpucala phase (200 BC – AD 300) *Early Huamachuco phase (AD 300 – 600) *Amaru phase (AD 600 – 800?) *Late Huamachuco phase (AD 800? – 1000) *Tuscan phase (AD 1000 – 1470) *Santa Bárbara phase (AD 1470 – 1532).

The penultimate phase, the Tuscan phase, corresponds to the historical autonomous domain of Huamachuco, and the Santa Bárbara phase corresponds to the Inca domination of Huamachuco.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marcus|first=Joyce|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MWmRDwAAQBAJ|title=Andean Civilization: A Tribute to Michael E. Moseley|last2=Williams|first2=Patrick Ryan|date=2009-12-31|publisher=ISD LLC|isbn=978-1-938770-36-4|pages=231|language=en}}</ref> The Huamachuco domain or kingdom probably established its capital at Marcahuamachuco, since the ruins of Marcahuamachuco show evident occupation from the Early Huamachuco phase up to the Tuscan phase.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Marcus|first=Joyce|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MWmRDwAAQBAJ|title=Andean Civilization: A Tribute to Michael E. Moseley|last2=Williams|first2=Patrick Ryan|date=2009-12-31|publisher=ISD LLC|isbn=978-1-938770-36-4|pages=232|language=en}}</ref> Following the Inca conquest, the Marcahuamachuco population was likely resettled where the modern town of Huamachuco stands today.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Malpass|first=Michael A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIQaAAAAYAAJ|title=Provincial Inca: Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Assessment of the Impact of the Inca State|date=1993|publisher=University of Iowa Press|isbn=978-0-87745-426-7|pages=240|language=en}}</ref>

The modern town of Huamachuco was originally built by the Inca as their main installation in the zone.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Haas|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=66FOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA54|title=The Origins and Development of the Andean State|last2=Pozorski|first2=Shelia|last3=Pozorski|first3=Thomas|date=1987-08-06|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-33102-9|pages=54|language=en}}</ref> Huamachuco became the capital seat of an Inca province (''wamani'') of the same name.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Duthurburu|first=José Antonio del Busto|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gG4lAQAAIAAJ|title=Historia general del Perú: Las culturas preíncas|date=1994|publisher=Editorial Brasa|pages=526|language=es}}</ref> The Inca town of Huamachuco does not seem to have been built upon any previous settlement,<ref name=":0" /> and the pre-Inca hillfort of Cerro Tuscán, overlooking the town, seems to have been enhanced to protect the Inca settlement.<ref name=":1" /> With the Incas came enclaves of settlers called ''mitmaqkuna'' and an extensive system of tambos was built in the area, both evidenced by archaeological research.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Duthurburu|first=José Antonio del Busto|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gG4lAQAAIAAJ|title=Historia general del Perú: Las culturas preíncas|date=1994|publisher=Editorial Brasa|pages=540|language=es}}</ref> The Inca administrative center of Huamachuco was a stopover on the main Inca highway of Cusco to Quito, the "Qhapaq Ñan" or "Royal Road". The Incas built at least 215 colca storehouses on the hillslopes surrounding the town,<ref name=":0" /> with roughly half of these having floors elevated on stone pillars, while the other storerooms have canals running under the floors, probably for tubers.<ref name=":0" />

The Spanish foundation of Huamachuco was made in 1553 by Augustinian missionaries on top of the Incan Huamachuco. During the Peruvian War of Independence, it was named a very illustrious and faithful city by General José de San Martín. During the War of the Pacific, Huamachuco was the scene of the Battle of Huamachuco, which took place on 10 July 1883. In this final episode of the war, troops led by Andrés Avelino Cáceres were defeated by Chilean troops under Colonel Alejandro Gorostiaga.

== Etymology == It is not clear whether the name of the city comes from the Culli language, the autochthonous language of the area,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lau|first=George F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J0DtnMEjB0UC|title=Andean Expressions: Art and Archaeology of the Recuay Culture|date=2011-04-16|publisher=University of Iowa Press|isbn=978-1-58729-974-2|pages=32|language=en}}</ref> or from Quechua, a language from central Peru that reached its heyday during the Inca Empire. Most scholars believe the name to have a mixed origin from both languages. The name Huamachuco can be divided into two words, ''huama'' and ''chuco''. It has been postulated that ''huama'' comes from the Quechua word ''waman'' meaning "falcon", as it has no known meaning in Culli, which is poorly attested and extinct, while ''chuco'' is of likely Culli origin,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Adelaar|first=Willem F. H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiwaUY6KsY8C&pg=PA401|title=The Languages of the Andes|date=2004-06-10|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-45112-3|pages=401|language=en}}</ref> meaning "earth", "land", "region", or "country", being a commonly used term in the toponymy of the region (and alternatively written as ''chugo''). Thus, Huamachuco may mean something like "land of falcons" or "country of falcons". Otherwise, ''chuco'' can be translated as "helmet" or "headwear" in Quechua, which would give the city the meaning of "falcon hat", though modern linguists deny that this is the correct meaning of the city's name.

==Geography== Huamachuco is located between the eastern and western cordillera of the Andes Mountains, and 100 km south of Cajamarca. It has highland areas that range from 2500 to 4500 meters above sea level. Because of the great elevation, most of Huamachuco's land is treeless. The high-altitude grasslands of this region are known as ''puna''. The Huamachuco highland is bounded on the east and west by two parallel mountain ranges. The ''puna'' grasslands are ideal habitats for deer and wild camelids and supported the domestication of alpacas and llamas. thumb|Municipal Theatre, Huamachuco

Huamachuco's deep valley slopes show evidence of deliberate farming of native Andean trees and shrub vegetation. It appears that in prehistoric times, the temperature of the land was slightly warmer than today, allowing agriculture at elevations 100–300 meters higher than is possible in the 20th and 21st centuries.

===Climate=== Huamachuco has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: ''Cwb'')<ref>{{Cite journal |date=23 October 2023 |title=Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria. |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-02549-6/tables/1 |journal=Nature: Scientific Data |language=en}}</ref> with consistently cool temperatures. Huamachuco has a dry season from June to August.

{{Weather box|width=auto |metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = Y |location = Huamachuco, elevation {{convert|3186|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020) |Jan high C = 18.3 |Feb high C = 18.0 |Mar high C = 17.6 |Apr high C = 18.3 |May high C = 18.7 |Jun high C = 18.6 |Jul high C = 18.7 |Aug high C = 19.2 |Sep high C = 19.5 |Oct high C = 19.1 |Nov high C = 19.0 |Dec high C = 18.4 |year high C = |Jan low C = 7.6 |Feb low C = 8.0 |Mar low C = 8.0 |Apr low C = 7.6 |May low C = 6.8 |Jun low C = 5.8 |Jul low C = 5.4 |Aug low C = 5.7 |Sep low C = 6.8 |Oct low C = 7.1 |Nov low C = 6.5 |Dec low C = 7.3 |year low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 118.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 145.0 |Mar precipitation mm = 176.4 |Apr precipitation mm = 97.1 |May precipitation mm = 50.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 16.6 |Jul precipitation mm = 10.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 11.5 |Sep precipitation mm = 38.8 |Oct precipitation mm = 102.9 |Nov precipitation mm = 96.4 |Dec precipitation mm = 135.6 |year precipitation mm = |source 1 = National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru<ref name = SENAMHI>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230821192714/https://www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=normales-estaciones | archive-date = 21 August 2023 | url = https://www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=normales-estaciones | title = Normales Climáticas Estándares y Medias 1991-2020 | publisher=National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru | access-date = 17 June 2024}}</ref> }}

==Banks== {{Unreferenced section|date=March 2026}} *Branch of Caja Trujillo *Branch of Nuestra Gente *Branch of Banco de la Nación *Branch of Caja Piura

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Huamachuco}} * {{in lang|es}} [http://www.munihuamachuco.gob.pe/ Official municipal website]

{{Authority control}} {{Coord|7|48|43.3|S|78|2|55.3|W|region:PE_type:city|display=title}}

Category:Cities in the Department of La Libertad Category:Populated places in the Department of La Libertad Category:Populated places established in 1553