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You are here: Hotels & Destinations > Cajamarca

Cajamarca

The department of Cajamarca is characterized by slight slopes and highlands relatively low in comparison to the rest of the Peruvian Andes. The territory is made up of numerous valleys and gorges. The city of Cajamarca brings together three ingredients that make it an unforgettable destination: a magnificent Colonial architecture, beautiful countryside, and a rich history since it was the scene of an important episode of South American history. Here, the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca Atahualpa who, in spite of fulfilling his part of the ransom, was killed.
From that point onward, the conquistadors drafted the city in the traditional Spanish way, and today the Colonial constructions of the Cathedral, the churches of San Francisco, Belen, and la Recoleta, mansions, and monuments are preserved.

There are many excursion possibilities: the Inca Baths, thermo-medicinal hot springs where the Inca used to go after long trips, the Ventanillas de Otuzco (Otuzco Windows), a cemetery carved into a wall of volcanic rock, Cumbemayo, a demonstration of pre-Incan hydraulic engineering still functioning today, that is located in a wonderful natural area, the old hacienda La Colpa, where the cattle go to be milked at the sound of their name, Kuntur Wasi, a commercial center that dates to the year 1100 b.C. and its site museum with the numerous examples of the oldest objects of gold in the Americas, the Porcón farm, an agricultural and cattle cooperative surrounded by a pine forest, ideal for spending a day out of the city, visiting its small zoo of vicuñas, deer, little spotted cats, monkeys, and eagles, buying its milk products, or simply enjoying the landscape.

ALTITUDE
Capital: Cajamarca (2720 masl / 8924 fasl)
Lowest point: 400 masl / 1312 fasl (Nanchoc)
Highest point: 3590 masl / 11.778 fasl (Hualgayoc)

CLIMATE
The city of Cajamarca has a semi dry and temperate climate. The annual average maximum temperature is 22ºC (71ºF) and the minimum is 5ºC (42ºF). The rainy season begins in October and ends in April.

DISTANCES FROM THE CITY OF CAJAMARCA
Cajabamba(Province of Cajabamba) 125 km (78 miles) / 4 hours
Celendín(Province of Celendín) 107 km (66 miles) / 5 hours
Chota(Province of Chota)152 km (91 miles) / 8 hours
Contumazá(Province of Contumazá) 129 km (80 miles) / 4 hours
Cutervo(Province of Cutervo) 219 km (136 miles) / 9 hours and 30 minutes
Bambamarca(Province of Hualgayoc) 119 km (74 miles) / 6 hours
Jaén(Province of Jaén) 559 km (347 miles) / 11 hours
San Ignacio(Province of San Ignacio) 666 km (414 miles) / 13 hours
San Marcos(Province of San Marcos) 64 km (40 miles) / 1 hour
San Miguel de Pallaques(Province of San Miguel) 141 km (88 miles) / 4 hours and 30 minutes
San Pablo(Province of San Pablo) 108 km (67 miles) / 3 hours
Santa Cruz de Suncchubamba(Province of Santa Cruz) 210 km (130 miles) / 10 hours

ACCESS ROUTES
By land:Lima – Trujillo – Cajamarca: 870 km / 541 miles by the Panamerican Highway North (13 hours by bus)
By air: Regular flights from Lima to Cajamarca (1 hour and 15 minutes)



TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

NATURAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:

Porcon Farm
30 km / 19 miles north of Cajamarca (1 hour by car).
The members of this coop have decided to open their doors to the public, show their way of life and let the public participate in the farming, cattle ranching, and forestry tasks. In addition, you can hike through the forest and fields. Porcon Farm gathers together agrotourism, nature, and cultural interchange in one place.

CutervoNational Park
260 km / 162 miles north of Cajamarca (14 hours and 30 minutes by car).
Its purpose is to protect and preserve the flora and fauna characteristic to the Tarros mountain range. The area is a refuge for jaguars, little spotted cats, spectacled bears, nutrias, and others. One of the main attractions is the oilbird, which is nocturnal and lives in the GuacharosCaves. The exotic places to see are the vista of the grasslands and the dwarf and mist forests.

Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary
110 km / 68 miles north of the locality of Jaen (7 hours by car).
This protected area of 29.500 hectares contains a mist forest with all its native flora and fauna, thirty-three bird species, and seventeen mammal species (among the highlighted ones are the spectacled bear, the mountain tapir, monkeys, little spotted cats, and deer).


CITY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:
Cajamarca Cathedral or Santa Catalina Main Church
Jiron Cruz de Piedra, Plaza de Armas. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.
The Royal Decree of December 26th 1665 ordered the establishment of a Spanish parish in the city of Cajamarca, and so, where the old courthouse stood, a church was built that would become the cathedral in 1862. This is one of the highest expressions of the Peruvian Baroque architecture. Its features harmoniously combine columns, cornices, and finely sculpted niches. The most impressive parts of its three naves are the upper altar and the pulpit, both carved in wood and covered in gold leaf.

San FranciscoChurch (originally named San Antonio)
Jiron 2 de Mayo. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fir. 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
It was built in 1699 with the carved stones of the “Casa de la Sierpe”, a house owned by Cajamarca’s chief, don Calixto Astopilco, and with stones from the Santa Apolonia hill. In 1952, some catacombs housing the remains of numerous Franciscan monks and members of the indigenous nobility were discovered underneath the upper altar.
Besides the church, you can visit the convent, the Museo de Arte Religioso (Museum of Religious Art), and the Sanctuary of the Virgen Dolorosa (Sorrowful Virgin), the city’s patron saint. You can see the image of the Virgin in the Capilla del Sagrario (Chapel of the Tabernacle) of 1685, which lies adjacent to the church, and there are beautifully worked baroque carvings, high relief stone carvings of the life of Jesus, and the finely carved wooden pews of the choir.

Conjunto Monumental Belen (Bethlehem Complex)
Jiron Belen, block 6. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
An eighteenth century architectural complex composed of the church, the former Men’s Hospital (MedicalMuseum), and the former Women’s Hospital (Archeological and EthnographicMuseum), which was named “Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Piedad” (Our Lady of Mercy Hospital). The Baroque church is characterized by a carefully carved stone entrance, unfinished towers, arcades, and buttressed sides.

Conjunto Monumental La Recoleta (La Recoleta Complex)
Intersection of Avenida El Maestro and Avenida Los Heroes. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.
This complex is made up of the church and convent, both built in the second half of the seventeenth century. The front of the church is like a Neoclassic Plateresque shrine, and instead of towers, it has belfries. Inside, formed by only one nave, there is a beautiful cupola, a choir loft, and three plain altars.

Mirador Natural Santa Apolonia (Santa Apolonia Natural Lookout)
Located in the upper part of the city. The main entrance is by way of Jiron 2 de Mayo, 2 blocks away from the Main Square. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
The hill, Santa Apolonia, which used to be called Rumi Tiana (Stone Seat), is a strategic viewpoint for the city and the Cajamarca valley. At the edges still remain vestiges of pre-Hispanic constructions like the so called “Silla del Inca” (Seat of the Inca), formed by a stone block that juts out from the hill itself and was carefully carved to give it its current form. Among the stairways and gardens, there is a wonderful chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Fatima.


HISTORICAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:

Cuarto del Rescate (Ransom Room)
Jiron Amalia Puga 750. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
This is the only feature of Inca architecture left in the city. It was built of stone and with the walls slightly inclined to give the characteristic trapezoidal features of Inca constructions. The Inca Atahualpa, who was kept prisoner in this room, offered Francisco Pizarro to have the room filled completely with silver twice and gold once as a ransom.

Cumbemayo Archeological Complex
20 km / 12 miles southeast of Cajamarca (45 minutes by car).
Discovered in 1937, this complex is surrounded by an interesting stone forest that seems to mimic the silhouettes of pious friars (for which it is popularly called “frailones” or giant friars). In addition, you find the Aqueduct (1000 B.C.), a unique work of hydraulic engineering, the Sanctuary, a cliff that looks like a giant human head, and the Caves, which include cave paintings and carvings.

Layzon Archeological Complex
9 km / 6 miles southeast of Cajamarca (20 minutes by car).
This consists of walls that surpass six meter in height and stone monoliths with high reliefs. The main structure is built by superimposing somewhat smoothed stones on top of each other, and there are six platforms joined by staircases. On the sides, there are various buildings lined up and towards the southeast, a great platform. The place might have been dedicated to the gods.

Ventanillas de Otuzco (Windows of Otuzco)
8 km / 5 miles northeast of Cajamarca (10 minutes by car). Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
The graveyard of Otuzco is popularly known as the “Ventanillas de Otuzco” (windows of Otuzco) because of its particular shape. The square or rectangular niches were sculpted in a volcanic rock face in consecutive lines. Because of grave plundering, it is difficult to know the exact age, but certain evidence points to the Caxamarca culture, who ruled the region between 300 A.D. and 800 A.D.

Baños del Inca (The Baths of the Inca)
6 km / 4 miles east of Cajamarca (10 minutes by car). Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 6:00 A.M. – 6:30 P.M.
These hot springs of mineral water with a maximum temperature of 72ºC (158ºF), possess therapeutic properties for the treatment of bone and nervous system disorders. There are pools for private use, public pools, and other services for therapeutic treatments. Originally called Pultamarca, it is here, supposedly, that Atahualpa was resting just before the confrontation with Pizarro.

Kuntur Wasi Ceremonial Center
93 km / 58 miles northeast of Cajamarca (3 hours by car).
This pre-Hispanic ceremonial center, which is estimated to have been built around 1100 B.C., is raised upon a series of platforms and superimposed plazas with various other buildings and rooms held up by massive stone walls.
Studies have discovered different epochs of occupation. Around 700 B.C., there was a great cultural change and the entire structure was covered with dirt and stones by its own inhabitants so they could build a new, larger ceremonial center.
Towards 250 B.C., the center suffered substantial destruction, and the site was abandoned. The society moved to the hill, Cerro Blanco, where a variety of Wari constructions from this time still remain. After the destruction, Kuntur Wasi was never used again.
The archeological mission of the University of Tokyo and local community groups began studying the cultural tradition reflected in Kuntur Wasi in 1988. Among the most important discoveries are the dead buried there, bodies clothed in bright red and surrounded by offerings and other objects.

KunturWasiSiteMuseum
3 km / 1,8 miles from the city of San Pablo (7 minutes by car).
There are permanent exhibitions of the different objects found in the excavations of Kuntur Wasi: gold, semi-precious stones, ceramics, stone utensils, and bones. In addition, you can view maps, plans, and pictures of the research work done by the University of Tokyo. It is located at the top of the hill, La Copa, 2273 masl / 7457 fasl.


DIRECTORY:

AIRPORT
Armando Revoredo Iglesias Airport
Km 3 on the Cajamarca – OtuzcoHighway
Telephone: (076) 82-2523
Attention: Mon. – Sun. 6:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.

OVERLAND TRANSPORT
There is currently no bus station, but the majority of inter-provincial bus companies are located in:
2nd and 3rd blocks of Avenida Atahualpa
2nd and 3rd blocks of Avenida Independencia

HEALTH CENTERS
Cajamarca:
Regional Hospital
Avenida Mario Urteaga 500. Telephone: (076) 82-2414 / 82-3864 / 82-8807
Attention: 24 hours
Jaen:
Jaen General Hospital
Prolongación Huamanatanga. Telephone: (076) 73-1268
Attention: 24 hours
Chota:
Jose Soto Cadenilla Sub Regional Hospital
Jiron Exequiel Montoya 718. Telephone: (076) 84-113
Attention: 24 hours

LOCAL POLICE
National Police of Peru Sub Region
Jiron Amalia Puga, Cajamarca
Telephone: (076) 82-5572 / 82-3438 / 82-2832
Attention: 24 hours.

CRAFT MARKETS
The majority of shops selling handicrafts in the city of Cajamarca are located in:
- 10th block of Jiron Del Comercio
- 3rd block of Jiron 2 de Mayo
- 7th block of Jiron Belen

POSTAL SERVICES
SERPOST
Jiron Amalia Puga 778, Cajamarca
Telephone: (076) 82-4065
Attention: Mon. – Sat 8:00 A.M. – 9:15 P.M.; Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

LINKS
National Tourism Chamber: www.go2peru.com
Regional Government of Cajamarca: www.regionacajamarca.gob.pe