Salaverry (Trujillo): 25 Mar 2009 to 27 Mar 2009

Founded in 1534 on the orders of Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro, Trujillo is Peru’s third-largest city. The old colonial city centre, with its pastel mansions and intricate wrought iron work, retains the feel of a much smaller town. Centuries before the Spanish arrived, the region was home to Chimu and Moche civilizations, evidenced by extensive ruins nearby. The mud city of Chan Chan, home to 60,000 residents at its peak, was built by the Chimu prior to the arrival of the Incas; it was the largest pre-Columbian city in South America. The Moche people built the even earlier Huacas del Sol Y de la Luna (Temples of the Sun and the Moon) around 500 AD.