This article is about Ayacucho, for the region it belongs to, see
Ayacucho
Region.
Ayacucho is the capital city of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. It has a population of 93,033 within the city and
an additional 140,230 in the surrounding area. The name is derived from two quechua words
«aya» (death) and «cuchu» (outback).
Ayacucho is famous for its large number of churches and for its religious celebrations during Holy
Week. These celebrations include horse races featuring Peruvian Caballos de Paso and the traditional running of the bulls, known locally as the jalatoro or
pascuatoro. The jalatoro is similar to the Spanish encierro, except that the bulls are led by horses of the Morochucos.
History
Vestiges of human settlements more than 15,000 years old have been found in the cave site of Pikimachay, about 25 km north of Ayacucho. In the 6th and 12th centuries, the region became occupied by the
Huari Culture, which became the first expansionist empire known in the Andes before the Incas.
The modern colonial establishment of Ayacucho was led by Spanish conquistador
Francisco Pizarro on April 25, 1540, as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga (St. John on the Huamanga Frontier). Due to the constant Incan
rebellion led by Manco Inca against the Spanish on the zone, Pizarro was quick to
populate it with a small number of Spaniards brought over from Lima and
Cusco. On May 17, 1544, by Royal
decree Ayacucho received its title of "La Muy Noble y Leal Ciudad de Huamanga". On February
15, 1825, by decree of Simón Bolívar, the city's name
was changed to the original "Ayacucho".
The city's main University was founded on July 3, 1677 as the
Universidad Nacional San Cristóbal de Huamanga (National University
of St. Christopher of Huamanga).
A
retablo piece of art from Ayacucho
The city is named after the historical Battle of Ayacucho. Upon seeing so many
casualties on the battlefield, the settlers named the area Ayakuchu, aya meaning "soul" or "dead" and kuchu
meaning "corner" in the Quechua language. The Battle of Ayacucho was the last armed clash
between Spanish armies and patriots during the Peruvian War of
Independence. The battle developed in the nearby pampa of La Quinua on December 9, 1824. The patriot victory sealed the independence of Peru and
South America. La Paz, now capital of Bolivia, was also similarly renamed La Paz de Ayachuco following this battle.
The city's economy is based on agriculture and light manufactures, including textiles, pottery, leather goods, and filigree
ware.
Notable people
- Andrés Avelino Cáceres, President of Peru
- Néstor Cabrera, Writer
- Willy del Pozo, Writer
- Maria Parado de Bellido, heroine in War of Independence
See also
Coordinates:
13°09′47″S, 74°13′28″W
References
External links
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Peruvian cities with a population of over 100,000
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Regional capital cities in Peru
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