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Location:
North of Perú. 
Area: 33 317 km2.
Capital: Cajamarca (2720 masl)
Altitude: Minimum: 420 masl (Tembladera)
Maximum: 3502 masl (Hualgayoc)
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 index.htm 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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