HISTORY OF TRUJILLO: MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS - HISTORY - 2025

The history of Trujillo begins from its foundation in 1534, becoming the most important city in the middle north of the Viceroyalty from an economic point of view.

This distinction was due to its location as an intermediate point between the port of the City of Kings (Lima) and the Spanish sites located in Panama.

Trujillo Cathedral - Peru

Trujillo is the capital of the department of La Libertad of Peru, in addition to this it is the third most important city in the country because it represents the cultural and economic axis of the north coast.

In Peru, Trujillo is recognized as the city of eternal spring, the national capital of La Marinera and as the capital of national culture.

Outstanding events in the history of Trujillo

Background

During the pre-Hispanic period, the territory adjacent to Trujillo was home to the Cupisnique, Mochica and Chimú cultures.

According to archaeological evidence, the largest settlement in the area was the Chan Chan citadel. This city, in its period of greatest expansion, is estimated to have been inhabited by more than 100,000 Chimú indigenous people.

Even though the existence of several pre-Hispanic urban settlements has been demonstrated, the existence of the city of Trujillo has not been established prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers.

Colonial period

The foundation of Trujillo, under the name of Villa de Trujillo, took place on December 6, 1534, by the Spanish conqueror Diego de Almagro.

This name was conferred on it in homage to the Spanish city Trujillo de Extremadura, where the colonizer Francisco Pizarro was born.

Francisco Pizarro himself made the foundation official on March 5, 1535, giving it the name of the city of Trujillo de Nueva Castilla.

Later, on November 23, 1537, King Carlos I granted it the title of city by means of a Royal Decree and endowed it with his coat of arms, a symbol that also remains in force today.

The city was designated as the capital of the district, with which it assumed the administrative captaincy of the area.

XVII century

The city whose economy had flourished from wheat, sugar cane and cattle raising is devastated after the earthquake in 1619.

Facing a long reconstruction process, it managed to overcome and develop after the year 1625.

But it happened that at the end of the 17th century, plagues and droughts undermined their agricultural crops, leaving Trujillo devoid of its main economic activity, subsumed in a serious crisis.

Century XVIII

Natural disasters continued to hit the city. In the second decade of the 18th century a flood occurred that destroyed the city of Zaña.

In 1725 and 1759, when Trujillo was at its peak, it faced high-intensity earthquakes which were followed by a new flood in 1820.

Independence

In 1820 the mayor of the city José Bernardo de Torre Tagle led the first Peruvian independence movement.

This movement concluded with the declaration of the independence of Trujillo before an open town hall held in the Plaza de Armas, on December 24 of the same year.

Republican era

Trujillo was a strategic city during the War of Independence.

In 1823, after the creation of the Republic of Peru, he assumed the capital of the country before the onslaught of the royalist troops that ended up taking the city of Lima.

In 1824, he received the army of the liberator Simón Bolívar, who ended up assuming the government of the liberated country.

References

1. Chávez, J. (nd). The Trujillo Foundation of Peru: History of a Controversy. In: historia-trujillo-peru.jimdo.com.
2. Ramos, J. (nd). History of Trujillo. Retrieved on November 22, 2017 from: aureliomoreno.es.
3. Trujillo. (September 20, 2007). In: britannica.com.
4. Trujillo (City, Peru). (sf). Retrieved on November 22, 2017 from: encyclopedia.com.
5. Trujillo, Peru. (July 7, 2016). At: mirror.uncyc.org.