Huanchaco

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Huanchaco
From top and left to right: View of Huanchaco beach, Dish of cebiche, Huanchaco pier, Saveguard in Caballito de Totora, Tumi: Chimu work, Chan Chan: capital Chimu, Park in Huanchaco, Night view of the pier, Swamps of Huanchaco, Navegator Chimu in a Caballito de Totora, Surfers in Huanchaco, Wall in Chan Chan
Huanchaco
Coordinates: 7°42.0′S 79°26.0′W / 7.7000°S 79.4333°W / -7.7000; -79.4333Coordinates: 7°42.0′S 79°26.0′W / 7.7000°S 79.4333°W / -7.7000; -79.4333
Country  Peru
Region La Libertad Region
Province Trujillo
District Huanchaco
foundation Mochica in Pre-Columbian era times[1]
Spanish: January 1, 1535 by fray Alonso de Escarcena and Juan de Barbaran.[1]
Government
 • Mayor Fernando Bazan Pinillos
Elevation 13 m (43 ft)
Population (2005)
 • Urban 38,134
 • Demonym Huanchaquino(a)
Huanchaqueño(a)
Time zone PET (UTC-5)
Website Municipality of Huanchaco

Huanchaco is a beachside town of Mochica origin and a popular vacation spot. It is the most visited beach of Trujillo in Peru.[1] Situated 12 km northwest of the city in a bay, on a terrace at the foot of Campana mountain, Huanchaco is notable for its surf breaks and its caballitos de totora, and its ceviche. Huanchaco is near the ruin of Chan Chan. Huanchaco was approved as a World Surfing Reserve by the organization Save The Waves Coalition in 2012 [2] This historic town is part of the tourist circuit called the "Moche Route" or "Ruta Moche".[3] Today it is still a beautiful beach that, despite its modernity, still retains its old charm.

History

Pre-Columbian era

Huanchaco's original population were indigenous fishermen, who worshipped the moon and a golden fish called Huaca Taska

Some accounts suggest the name "Huanchaco" may originate from "Gua-Kocha, a Quechua word meaning "beautiful lake". It was the main port Moche, Chimú and Inca eras, and was described by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega as the preferred port of the Incas.

In the Chimú culture 800 A.C. to 1400 A.C. Huanchaco was the port for Chan Chan, which was established 4 km away

Colonial era

Following the Spanish conquest of 1534, the Spanish town was founded as "Huanchaco" on January 1, 1535 by the Franciscan friar Alonso of Escarcena and Juan de Barbaran.

In the colonial era, Huanchaco continued to be the main port of Trujillo city, but the port closed in 1870. Two decades later Victor Larco Herrera rebuilt the pier exclusively for exporting sugar from businesses in neighboring Chicama valley, one of the most important areas of sugar production in the country.

Origin of ceviche

Typical dish of ceviche in Huanchaco,
National Cultural Heritage by the Peruvian government
Main article: Ceviche

According to Andrés Tinoco Rondan, an academic researcher at Ricardo Palma University, Huanchaco is the birthplace of ceviche. Oral histories suggest ceviche was prepared was made with lemons from Simbal (yunga village nearby), with chilli from the Moche River valley and seaweed extracted from the sea.

In Huanchaco the ceviche is often served to tourists with the seaweed called cochayuyo or mococho which are taken from the shores of Huanchaco[4]

Tourism

Huanchaco is visited by tourists all over the world, particularly surfers. Several surf events are held and one of the most important each year in January is the Huanchaco longboard. Other nearby attractions include Chan Chan, Mount Campana, a sacred mountain in the Chimu culture[5] and Pampas de Gramalote, a complex for shamanic experiences.

Surfing

Surfing in a caballito de totora in Huanchaco

In the year 2012 Huanchaco was approved as a World Surfing Reserve by the organization Save The Waves Coalition. This designation is the first awarded to a Latin America town and the fifth in the world. Huanchaco is notable not only for consistent, smooth waves, but also for being the birthplace of Caballito de totora boat which is regarded as one of the first known surf crafts[6]

The Huanchaco Longboard World Championshios is a surfing competition that has taken place since 2010 at the El Elio Beach in Huanchaco, and brings together leading surfers of several countries of the world.[7]

Some Tourist Attractions in Huanchaco beach
Huanchaco beach
surfer's paradise 
La Ribera avenue at Huanchaco 
Peruvian fishing boats
It shows the typical and ancient
caballitos de totora 
Malecon near to the beach 
Park in Huanchaco 
The Huanchaco pier is one of the most visited places by tourists from around the world who come to Huanchaco, a longboard world stage 

Swamps of Huanchaco

Main article: Swamps of Huanchaco
Swamps of Huanchaco is an ecological Chimu reserve, about 14 km northwest of the historic center of Trujillo city, Peru. From this ecological reserve the ancient mochica extracted the raw material for the manufacture of the ancient Caballitos de totora used since the time of the Moche for fishing.

Swamps of Huanchaco, also known as Wetlands of Huanchaco[8] is an ecological Chimu reserve located in Huanchaco Beach, about 14 km northwest of Trujillo city, Peru. From this ecological reserve the ancient mochica extracted the raw material for the manufacture of the ancient Caballitos de totora used since the time of the Moche for fishing. Currently Huanchaco fishermen still use materials from these swamps to make the traditional boats[9][10][11]

Festivals

  • Carnival of Huanchaco, this carnival has been held since the beginning of the 20th century. Originally villagers performed a carnival emulating the famous Venetian Carnival of the time. Later it became organized by the Club Huanchaco, and now consists of several activities including the crowning of the queen, surf contest, luau party, creativity in the sand, championships of Caballito de totora, and the carnival parade among. In 2012 the carnival parade was held on 25 February.[12]
  • San Pedro, the patron saint of fishermen at sea, is also called "San Pedrito"; in Huanchaco it is made a traditional "Patacho" which is a giant reed horse. It is celebrated in the month of June.[13]

See also

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Huanchaco.

Multimedia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Huanchaco.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trujillo (Peru).

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huanchaco Municipality (ed.). "(spanish)Huanchaco History". Retrieved 29 September 2012. 
  2. ↑ "Huanchaco-World Surfing Reserve in Peru". Retrieved 3 October 2012. 
  3. ↑ (Spanish) Tourism ministry of Peru – MINCETUR (ed.). "Ruta Moche La Libertad". Retrieved 3 October 2012. 
  4. ↑ Peruvian Sea Institute (ed.). "(spanish)Prospección al recurso cochayuyo en la Playa de Huanchaco". Retrieved 2 October 2012. 
  5. ↑ "(Spanish) Huanchaco: esta será la nueva propuesta turística en famoso balneario trujillano". Retrieved 3 October 2012. 
  6. ↑ "Huanchaco-World Surfing Reserve in Peru". Retrieved 3 October 2012. 
  7. ↑ (Spanish) RPP (ed.). "Huanchaco se alista para semana de cultura viva y mundial de Longboard". Retrieved 29 September 2012. 
  8. ↑ "(spanish) Swamps of Huanchaco". Retrieved 21 May 2012. 
  9. ↑ "(spanish) Wetlands of Huanchaco". Retrieved 29 May 2012. 
  10. ↑ "(spanish) Day of Wetlands". Retrieved 29 May 2012. 
  11. ↑ Victor Pulido. "(spanish)El Balsar de Huanchaco". Retrieved September 2, 2012. 
  12. ↑ Newspaper RPP (ed.). "(spanish)Trujillo: Unos 12 mil turistas disfrutarán del Carnaval de Huanchaco". Retrieved September 13, 2012. 
  13. ↑ Newspaper RPP (ed.). "(spanish)Huanchaco: San Pedro bendice a pescadores en tradicional Patacho". Retrieved September 13, 2012. 
 
Historic fishing villages and communities
Fishing villages
Communities
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