The history of Cajamarca dates back to pre-Columbian times. It is a region that was inhabited long before the arrival of the Spanish. Cajamarca is at 2,750 meters above sea level, and is the largest city in the highlands of northern Peru.
It is also one of the oldest regions in the country, with large amounts of ancient and historical monuments. For this it received the title of Historic Heritage of the Americas.
It is especially famous for having been the settlement where the great chieftain Atahualpa, the last ruler of the Inca Empire, was captured by Francisco Pizarro.
You may also be interested in the traditions and customs of Cajamarca.
Precolumbian era
The name Cajamarca probably derives from the word Qasamarka, which means "people of ice." This would coincide with the characteristics of the inhabitants of the region, since they have to deal with low temperatures.
But it is also suspected that it may be a modification of Kashamarka, which means "people of thorns." This name is perhaps due to the abundance of cacti in the area.
Cajamarca is known to have been a large Inca population, but there is evidence that the Incas were not the first to inhabit the area.
Archaeological excavations have found evidence that dates the founding of the city as a nerve center around 1500 BC. But there are signs that it had been inhabited for many years before.
The inclusion of Cajamarca to the Inca Empire was late. It happened around the year 1320 d. C. under the command of Pachacútec.
From this moment until the arrival of the Spanish, Cajamarca belonged to the great Tawantinsuyu Empire.
Spanish conquest
The Spanish arrived in the highlands of Peru under the command of the Marquis Francisco Pizarro in 1532.
His meeting with Atahualpa, the then head of the Inca Empire, represented the meeting of both cultures.
Atahualpa was required to submit to the power of the Spanish Crown and adopt the Catholic religion. By refusing outright, he was arrested. The incarceration dragged on for months, so Atahualpa negotiated his own release.
The payment record was the total of two rooms full of gold and one full of silver. It is said that it was so long that it took 29 days to melt everything. Still, Atahualpa was killed by the Spanish.
This event brought the entire vast Inca empire under the control of the Spaniards and began the Colony in the region.
The Spanish Crown had the Inca Empire under its rule for approximately three centuries.
There were revolts and attacks by the Inca inhabitants but they were easily suppressed. Slavery made its way and the Colony was established.
But the independence movements reached Peru like the rest of America.
Independence process
In 1821 the Republic of Peru declared itself independent from the Spanish Crown.
Even though the republic was not completely structured, Cajamarca was one of the regions with the greatest importance and population, mainly due to the large gold and silver reserves it had.
A few decades later, in 1854, Cajamarca was declared a department, with the city of the same name as its capital.
Present
Currently Cajamarca is the thirteenth city with the largest population in Peru. It has a constant and stable growth rate that positions it as a possible future metropolis.
References
- Historical review of Cajamarca. (2008) cajamarcaperu.com
- Cajamarca Department. (2015) enperu.org
- Cajamarca. (2017) britannica.com
- History of Cajamarca. (2005) micajamarca.com
- The Historic Center of Cajamarca, Peru. UNESCO Report (2009)
- Knowing Cajamarca. National Directorate of Departmental Statistics and Informatics. (2001)