The department of La Libertad features a varied relief, starting from the coast line, passing though the highlands (Andes) of Otuzco, Julcan, and Santiago de Chuco, and ending in the upper jungle (The Amazon Rain Forest) at the border of the Department of San Martin. The coast enjoys beaches and fertile valleys that are very important to the national agricultural production.

Trujillo, the capital of the department, is known as the city of eternal spring because of its blessed climate and festive atmosphere. The area was inhabited by two important, ancient Peruvian civilizations, the Mochica and the Chimú, and later, it became an important vice royal city. Among its uncountable archeological attractions, there is Chan Chan, the largest mud city in the Americas and ancient capital for the Chimú. UNESCO placed it on the World Cultural Heritage List in 1986.

There, you can see the remarkable huacas (pre-Incan sacred places) built by the Mochicas like the Huaca of the Sun and of the Moon, which measure more than twenty meters. Also, the El Brujo complex, decorated with inspiring figures of dancers and warriors. The city also has a splendid Colonial architecture where you will want to see the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Church of the Company of Jesus Christ, the monastery of El Carmen, and the many Colonial houses.

The Huanchaco beach resort is only fifteen minutes away from the city. It is famous for the caballitos de totora, which are lightweight boats made of totora reeds that have been used to cut through the ocean since the time of the Mochicas and Chimús. There, you can enjoy exquisite seafood or simply bask in the glory of a day at the beach.

Tourist interests

Cathedral of Trujillo. Built in 1666, it stores precious works of art, specifically paintings of the Cusco School as well as sculptures.

Main Square of Trujillo. Following the orders of Diego de Almagro, Martin de Astete drew up this square as the center of the city. In the central part of the main square, you can see the monument of La Libertad, a Baroque marble sculpture, work of the German, Edmund Müller.

Iturregui Palace. Constructed in the nineteenth century, it is an example of Neo-classical civil architecture. The columns, the window bars, and the Italian marble statues catch the eyes. Today it is the headquarters of the Club Central.

Casa de la Emancipación (Emancipation House). In this place, also known as “De Madalengoitia”, the Marquis of Torre Tagle prepared the Trujillo declaration of independence in 1820. It was the site of the First Constituent Congress and later, the house from where President Riva Agüero ruled. This house is also called Civic Sanctuary of Trujillo. It also houses exhibitions.

Calonge or Urquiaga House. It is the site of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru. It is a neo-classical house and has been converted into a museum where gold ornaments of the Chimu culture, the desk of Liberator Simon Bolivar, and furniture belonging to the Vice-royal and Republican epochs are displayed.

Museo de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia de la Universidad Nacional de Trujillo (The National University of Trujillo Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History). Archeological remnants related to the different pre-Hispanic cultures that developed in the department of La Libertad are displayed here. The museum is located in the Risco House, famous for its patios decorated with murals. Ceramic objects, jewelry, clothing, and feather mosaic are the highlights of the exhibitions.

The Dragon Huaca or Arco Iris (The Rainbow). This adobe pyramid is especially important since its construction was done at the beginning of the Chimu culture and at the end of the Tiahuanuco-Wari culture between the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D. Its estimated age is 1100 years. The building has a square base and walls decorated with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic representations in high relief. The name of the Dragon cames from one of these figures, a two-headed creature with uncountable feet, similar to a dragon. Researchers consider that one of the purposes of this place was ceremonial (it would have been linked to rituals in honor of the rainbow and other natural phenomena related to fertility).

Huanchaco Beach Resort. According to the legend, 800 years ago Prince Tacaynamo and his court disembarked in Huanchaco and founded the first Chimu dynasty. The traditional rafts called the "caballitos de totora" (little horses of totora reeds), used by the fishermen in the north coast of Peru since pre-Columbian times, still navigate these water. It is one of the most popular beaches along the coast of Peru for surfers.