The Otuzco is a city located in the highlands of La Libertad

La Libertad Region

La Libertad is a region in northwestern Peru. Formerly it was known as the 'Department of La Libertad" , a political division that generally corresponds to a state in the United States of America...

, Peru

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....

. It is the capital of the Otuzco Province

Otuzco Province

The Otuzco Province is one of twelve provinces of the La Libertad Region in Peru. The capital of this province is the city of Otuzco.-Political division:The province is divided into ten districts, which are:* Otuzco* Agallpampa* Charat* Huaranchal...

, and it is well known because there is the sanctuary of the Gate Virgin. It is located at around 7°54′00"S 78°35′0"W.

Founding

The Otuzcans, led by Don José Corcuera (deputy

Deputy (legislator)

A deputy is a legislator in many countries, particularly those with legislatures styled as a 'Chamber of Deputies' or 'National Assembly'.-List of countries:This is an list of countries using the term 'deputy' or one of its cognates....

 for the Province of Huamachuco) and Don Enemecio Orbegozo (son of the former President Luis José de Orbegoso

Luis José de Orbegoso

Luis José de Orbegoso y Moncada count De Olmos , an aristocratic Peruvian soldier and politician, was President of Peru from 1833 to 1836...

), who in 1856 proposed a Law Project, that was not accepted, later proposed a second Law Project, that was accepted by the National Congress

Congress of Peru

The Congress of the Republic of Peru or the National Congress of Peru is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru.Congress consists of 130 members of congress , who are elected for five year periods in office on a proportional representation basis...

 on April 17, 1861, and called the "Law of Creation of the Otuzco Province", in the Department of La Libertad. This law was signed by the President of the Republic, Ramón Castilla

Ramón Castilla

Ramón Castilla y Marquesado was a Peruvian caudillo and President of Peru four times. His earliest prominent appearance in Peruvian history began with his participation in a commanding role of the army of the Libertadores that helped Peru become an independent nation...

, on April 25, 1861.

The same Law divided the Province of Huamachuco in two, and created the Province of Otuzco. This law made the town of Otuzco the capital of the Province of Otuzco; it was later reincorporated as a city.

Otuzco and its surroundings

The Otuzcan area has been inhabited since the upcoming of the first human groups in the Region of La Libertad. It is an Andean city inhabited by descendants of the original inhabitants people of Peru, who have mixed with the people who came from Spain ever since the first years of Spanish domination. The majority are mestizo

Mestizo

Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...

. It was inhabited by the Yungas

Mochica language

Mochica is a Chimuan language formerly spoken along the northwest coast of Peru and in an inland village. First documented in 1607, the language was widely spoken in the area during the 17th and early 18th century...

 and the Quechuas

Quechuas

Quechuas is the collective term for several indigenous ethnic groups in South America who speak a Quechua language , belonging to several ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.The Quechuas of Ecuador call themselves as well as their...

.

Otuzco is a picturesque city in the La Libertad highlands with narrow streets and elevated houses of wide doors and tiled roofs. It is surrounded by a beautiful Andean landscape, which features the Tupullo Gorge, the Pollo River, and La Ermita mountain. Otuzco is much visited by religious pilgrims who come to pray to the Virgin de la Puerta (Virgin of the Gate), patron saint of the city.

Throughout its history, Otuzco has been reclassified many times, first it was just a name, later it became a parish, then a "curato", later a town until the declaration of the Republic. When the Province of Otuzco was created, the town of Otuzco was raised to the legal category of "Villa" (town). Now, it has the category of city, by a Law published on November 15, 1890.

Geographical features

Most of the land in and around Otuzco is steep, mountainous terrain presenting diverse geographical features such as rugged valleys, numerous steep hills, deep gorges and many narrow fast flowing river canyons. Throughout the mountains of Otuzco there are hundreds of dirt tracks

Dirt road

Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...

, which are the primary transportation routes for the people who live in the small communities dotted throughout these mountains. Due to the mountainous terrain the main means of transportation for the people of these communities are donkeys; people and donkeys traverse these narrow, high mountain tracks every day as they go about their daily lives. Within a few kilometers of Otuzco the land changes from hard, rocky terrain to the warm, almost tropical fertile lower valleys that are famous for their year-round cultivation of pineapples and sugar cane.

The festival of the Virgin De La Puerta

The Virgin de la Puerta is the religious patron saint of Otuzco. The festival of the Virgen de la Puerta, celebrated in Otuzco during the second week of December, is one of the most important religious holidays in South America, and attracts thousands of devotees accompanying the statue of the Virgin during its journey through the streets. For a whole week, religious pilgrims of all ages walk the 73 kilometers from the city of Trujillo up through the mountains till they reach the city of Otuzco. The purpose of the pilgrimage is for believers to test their faith through the undertaking of this difficult journey. The festival consists of three nights of celebrations accompanied by fireworks, traditional hot air balloons, and more than twenty bands which play haunting traditional music. Highlights of the festival are the groups of dancers who dress as gypsies, African Slaves, pallas, coyas and devils.Another popular tradition is the race of the donkeys called "burrocross" where the men show their dexterity and control with their donkeys by racing through the streets and the mountain tracks in and around Otuzco.The week of festivities ends on 15 December when three-story-high bamboo castles of fireworks are lit.

The economy

The economy of Otuzco is based around wheat, potatoes, livestock and its traditional baked products. Whilst a certain percentage of these products are sold within Otuzco, the remainder are transported to Trujillo where they are sold in the markets. Traditionally, once these products are sold, the proceeds are used to buy new products such as clothing, shoes, electrical goods, vegetables etc. which are then sold in the markets of Otuzco. As Otuzco is a small mountain community with a basic, self-sufficient economy, cash is the usual method of payment, there are no large banks or automated teller machine

Automated teller machine

An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...

s, and credit cards are not accepted by most businesses.

Communication

In recent years, Electricity, mobile phone towers and the internet have slowly spread throughout the mountain areas surrounding Otuzco. Whilst there may be some areas without signal due to the mountains, mobile phone coverage is relatively widespread in and around the town and several internet cafes operate within Otuzco.

Transportation to Otuzco

The 1 1/2 to 2 hour journey to Otuzco starts from the city of Trujillo, the capital of La Libertad. Transportation to Otuzco includes regular buses, Micros (Small buses) and colectivos (Cars with individual paying passengers). The transportation ranges from low cost, basic buses to reasonably priced modern buses. The quickest method of transportation is colectivos but these can sometimes be the most dangerous as they generally travel at a higher speed through the winding mountain roads. All companies operating services to Otuzco leave from Avenida Union, a main road approximately 5 kilometers from downtown Trujillo. Once travellers arrive at Avenida Union, they just need to choose the company that they wish to travel with. The road to Otuzco is a modern, asphalt road that is generally well maintained.

Tourism

Otuzco is a traditional mountain community. Unlike Cuzco, which has been transformed into a commercial tourist destination, Otuzco has remained relatively traditional with people still going about their daily lives as they have for generations. It is 73 kilometers from the city of Trujillo, easily accessible by bus for a day trip. There are also several hotels.
The primary charm of Otuzco lies in the traditional lifestyles and customs of the people; people are dressed in their colorful traditional clothing, selling their wares in the streets and markets, coaxing their donkeys along the roads and trails in a town where the majority of the buildings are still built the way they have been for centuries.
Otuzco is surrounded by the spectacular mountains and gorges of Peru.

Education

Education in Otuzco is mostly supplied by the sate, although a few private schools and colleges have started to open up in recent years. Government education in Peru has not been good, once being called the worst in Latin America. In recent years the Peruvian economy has grown and been successful, and the government has increased its investment in education; this can be seen in small towns such as Otuzco where computers, books and materials are now being made available to children. The government has also invested heavily in the expansion, renovation and modernization of government schools in isolated communities such as those in and around Otuzco.

(mestizo

Mestizo

Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...

).