La Merced, Junín
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Merced is the capital of the Chanchamayo Province in the Junín Region in Peru.
Contents |
[edit] Location
La Merced is situated on , 75 km east of the regional capital Huancayo-Junín and 220 km northeast of the country's capital Lima, at an elevation of 751 m above sea level. It was founded about 1884 by Jose Manuel Pereira after the Pacific war by a group of italian inmigrants. Before that period there were many attempts to colonize Chanchamayo's valley but were repelled by the local Ashaninkas. The peruvian army protected the colonist with a small garrison in Kimiri in front of the actual barracks. Gradually the Ashaninkas moved river down and eventually melted with the colonist. It lies on the western bank of the Río Chanchamayo which later becomes Río Perené tributary of the Amazonas.
[edit] Population
The city has a population of about 50000 inhabitants.
In terms of anthropology, the Chanchamayo region is a multicultural city influenced by the local aborigal Asháninka.
[edit] Environment
Due to its proximity to Peru's capital city, Lima, and due to its pleasant weather and exotic scenery it remains a popular destination for intranational tourism.
The surrounding areas feature numerous waterfalls, jungle-like forests, rivers, and many other natural wonders.
[edit] Economy
Economically, the Chanchamayo is influenced by the international prices of caffe, its main export product, and for the fruits that are grown locally ( orange,palta, pineapples, yuca, maracujá ...).
