Piura and Catacaos

Piura is in northern Peru, on a warm plain between the Sechura Desert and the Andes, on the banks of the Piura River. The city was founded in 1532 by Francisco Pizarro as San Miguel, the first Spanish city in the territory of present‑day Peru, and is called the city of eternal heat: maximums exceed 30 °C for much of the year.

The center revolves around the Plaza de Armas, with century‑old tamarinds, the statue of Liberty known as La Pola, and the cathedral. A few blocks away are the house where Admiral Miguel Grau was born, hero of the War of the Pacific; the church of San Francisco, in whose atrium the city swore independence in 1821; and the municipal Vicús Museum, with gold pieces from the Vicús culture.

About 12 km to the south, Catacaos is the region’s craft capital: gold and silver filigree, toquilla straw hats and ceramics are sold under the portals of Calle Comercio, and the picanterías serve the cuisine of Lower Piura. Nearby, Narihualá was the main center of the Tallán people, who lived in the valley before the Incas.

Piura is the land of seco de chabelo, a dish of green plantain and dried meat whose recipe is protected in Peru. Catacaos’s Holy Week, declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation, is one of the most attended religious celebrations in the north.

This destination brings together 1 city: Piura.