Piura

The name Piura, probably of indigenous origin, remains uncertain and requires proper linguistic reconstruction. Enrique del Carmen Ramos Briceño suggested that it derives from the Quechua word Pirhua, meaning "supply deposit" or "granary". However, according to linguist Carlos Arrizabalaga, Quechua more commonly uses the terms colca, collcca, or qullqa. Based on this, Ramos Briceño argued that Piura may have been a provisioning point or pirhua along the Qhapaq Ñan of the Incas. Arrizabalaga, together with researchers Martos and Mendoza, questioned this interpretation. He noted that the traditional local practice in the region was to store grains in large clay jars (tinajas) buried beneath the salty sands of the dunes. The earliest mention of Piura appears in 1535, when Francisco de Jerez referred to the valley of the Piura River, not to a settlement. …

Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura has been inhabited by their autochthonous group of natives called tallanes and yungas. These groups lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the Muchik culture eventually took control, and the mixture of these evolved into the Vicús culture. The Chimor, Moche and Wari Empire used to occupy the area surrounding the city. Centuries later, Piura came under the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui of the Inca Empire for at least 40 years before the Spanish arrived. Francisco Pizarro came to the area and established it as the third Spanish city in South America, and Spain's first city in Peru, known as San Miguel de Tangarará. He originally went all the way to what is now Tumbes but decided it was not a suitable base for his operations. …

Piura is located in the central-eastern part of the Department of Piura, in the valley of the Piura River, north of the Sechura Desert. It is located at a medium-low altitude and at a distance of 858 km north of Lima. Its proximity to the border with Ecuador and its location in a transit zone between the coast and the mountains give it a strategic geographical position. Piura is the main nucleus of the urban agglomeration known as the Piura metropolitan area. The Piura Department has a desert and semi-desert climate on the coast and the western slopes of the Andes, whereas on the eastern slopes the climate is subtropical. Precipitation is sparse except during El Niño events, when rainfall is abundant and water flows through normally dry watercourses, causing flooding and large-scale land movements. …

Piura has an intense cultural and artistic life. It has several museums of religious art, including the Church of Carmen, of pre-Columbian ceramics, particularly of the Vicús civilization, as well as galleries of paintings of its illustrious characters such as Ignacio Merino, Luis Montero Cáceres, Felipe Cossío del Pomar, Arcadio Boyer Ramírez, and contemporary painters such as Francisco Mauricio, Russbelt Guerra, Julio Cálle, José Zeta, Marcial Farfan, among others. The Ignacio Merino Muñoz Regional School of Fine Arts, the José María Valle Riestra Regional School of Music and the Children's Symphony Orchestra of Piura OSIP (Camerata Académica de Piura) are hotbeds of a plethora of young artists. The Municipal Symphony Orchestra is supported by the Provincial Council of Piura, businessmen and the Piura public that attends each of its presentations. …

Piura is a center of a rich agricultural, fishing, mining, and oil-producing region. It has become a development hub over the last 10 years thanks to significant private investment. The relationship between the capital, San Miguel de Piura, and its surrounding area is dynamic in all directions, as it is equidistant from the towns of Sullana, Paita, Sechura, Chulucanas, and Tambo Grande, averaging 50km. Every day, a steady flow of people and goods is evident in the buses and all types of motor vehicles that connect these areas at all hours via perfectly paved roads. …

The Pan-American Highway goes right through Piura and connects it to other cities in Peru and South America. Mototaxi's are a common form of transportation in the city, offering taxi or business's services. There are several public transport routes in the city, mainly made up of buses, minibuses and combis. In turn, you can find many taxis, motorcycle taxis and colectivos scattered throughout the city. Currently, the works of the new project of a rapid transit bus system called "Metropolitan Corridor of Piura" which would cross the city from east to west, contemplating a route of more than 14 km along the axis composed of Sánchez Cerro and Guardia Civil avenues, are in the execution project.The project is being promoted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Provincial Municipality of Piura, with the support of German and French Cooperation. Piura is served by the Cap. …