About Cajamarca
Cajamarca, which is one of the last settlement areas of the Inca Empire, welcomes thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year as the tourism capital of Peru today. Located at an altitude of approximately 2,700 meters above the sea level, Cajamarca mostly comes into prominence with its thermal springs, historical buildings, flamboyant churches and Inca baths (Banos del Inca). Cajamarca, which is the capital city of the Cajamarca region in Peru, is the 13th biggest city of Peru in terms of surface area. Quechua is the most common language in the city, which has a population of more than about 200 thousand. Plaza de Armas is at the top of the list of places to visit in Cajamarca, and it is the heart of the city. While walking around this square, you will encounter a great many cathedrals and historical houses. In the bar called Usha Usha, which is run by Jaime Valera, a famous Peruvian musician, you will enjoy live music a lot, after which you can head for the Cumbemayo ruins, one of the oldest manmade structures in South America. You can photograph the interesting aqueducts, rock formations, giant volcanic columns, caves and stone buildings in this area, where a group of Incan people lived here before. Do not forget to visit Museo de sitio kuntur Wasi, which is comprised of three different sections and sheds light on the history of the city.
Catedral de Cajamarca (Cathedral of Cajamarca), which definitely needs to be seen by history- and architecture-seekers, was built in the Baroque style at the end of the 17th century. This spectacular building in the city center has been hosting visitors as a national monument since 1972. After having a look at the works in Museo de Arte Religioso San Francisco de Asis, you can visit Mercado Central de Cajamarca. You can enjoy the therapeutic healing water of Banos del Inca, in other words, Incan Thermal Springs, which would take one day to visit during your Cajamarca trip, and you can have a massage here however you wish. Cascanuez Cafe & Bar, which is shown among the most popular eating and drinking places of the city, is the most ideal place to eat some snacks in the afternoon and taste the famous “pasado”. In addition, we strongly recommend that you taste the leches cake. For lunch or mild dinner, you can go to 10 Luces and El Marengo, which is famous for delicious pizzas. During the Carnaval that is held in February every year and lasts for 9 days, activities such as live music sessions, dance performances, parades, competitions and costume parties are organized. Since not only domestic tourists but also foreign tourists from all over the world are interested in Carnaval, whose preparations start months before, hotels generally get full in this period. The construction of El Complejo de Belén, which consists of a church completely made of volcanic rocks and a hospital, was completed between 1627 and 1774. The mesmerizing dome and pulpit of the church built in the Baroque style at the end of the T-shaped building, where there are 31 small cell-like bedrooms, are definitely worth seeing.
Ransom Chamber, the only Incan building in Cajamarca, was mainly the place where the Inca emperor Atahualpa was imprisoned. Additionally, you can also add Museo de Arqueológico and Etnográfíco, where earthenware, stone sculptures, instruments, clothes and local costumes, ceramics, agricultural tools etc. remaining from the pre-Columbus period are exhibited, in your list of places to visit in Cajamarca. You can do shopping in Artesanias El Rescate that has numerous shops, where you can find various local souvenirs, especially hand-knotted bags and ponchos.
