Matucana, Peru
Encyclopedia
Matucana is a town in Central Peru
, capital of the province Huarochirí
in the region Lima
. It's located to the East of Lima at 2,378 m
(7,802 ft) above sea level, along the Central Road at km
74.
Matucana was founded in 1647 by Don Miguel de Castro Y Garcia, a descendant of one of Francisco Pizarro's Conquistadores. He discovered gold in the hills outside of Matucana at a site that was once a holy shrine for the Incas. Using Inca slaves to operate the mine, he became very wealthy and eventually returned to live in Lima, Peru. The gold mine was unfortunately buried in a huge avalanche triggered by the devastating Santa Ursula Earthquake of October 21,1756, which also caused great damage to the City of Lima. Today, the City of Matucana has become a popular destination for eco-tourists, as it has beautiful water falls in the deep valleys outside of the town and plentiful hiking trails. It is also the starting point for the increasingly popular "De Las Montanas y Mar" bicycle race held every year between Matucana and Lima. The bicycle race starts at the Chez Victor Restaurant in Matucana and finishes at the La Rosa Nautica Restaurant in Lima. One of Don Miguel's descendants runs the Chez Victor restaurant in Matucana, while the La Rosa Nautica Restaurant is owned by the descendants of the Viceroy who granted the lands around Matucana to Don Miguel de Castro y Garcia. Coincidentally, the Chez Victor Restaurant was started with a grant received from Hernando De Soto's Institute for Liberty and Democracy.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, capital of the province Huarochirí
Huarochirí Province
Huarochirí Province is located in the Lima Region of Peru. Its capital is Matucana. The western section is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area.-Political division:The province is divided into thirty-two districts.* Antioquia...
in the region Lima
Lima Region
Lima Region, also known as Lima Provincias, is one of twenty-five regions of Peru. Located in the central coast of the country, its regional seat is Huacho....
. It's located to the East of Lima at 2,378 m
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
(7,802 ft) above sea level, along the Central Road at km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
74.
Matucana was founded in 1647 by Don Miguel de Castro Y Garcia, a descendant of one of Francisco Pizarro's Conquistadores. He discovered gold in the hills outside of Matucana at a site that was once a holy shrine for the Incas. Using Inca slaves to operate the mine, he became very wealthy and eventually returned to live in Lima, Peru. The gold mine was unfortunately buried in a huge avalanche triggered by the devastating Santa Ursula Earthquake of October 21,1756, which also caused great damage to the City of Lima. Today, the City of Matucana has become a popular destination for eco-tourists, as it has beautiful water falls in the deep valleys outside of the town and plentiful hiking trails. It is also the starting point for the increasingly popular "De Las Montanas y Mar" bicycle race held every year between Matucana and Lima. The bicycle race starts at the Chez Victor Restaurant in Matucana and finishes at the La Rosa Nautica Restaurant in Lima. One of Don Miguel's descendants runs the Chez Victor restaurant in Matucana, while the La Rosa Nautica Restaurant is owned by the descendants of the Viceroy who granted the lands around Matucana to Don Miguel de Castro y Garcia. Coincidentally, the Chez Victor Restaurant was started with a grant received from Hernando De Soto's Institute for Liberty and Democracy.