MOQUEGUA IS WAITING FOR YOU
Moquegua is known as the Sun, Tradition and Amity Land.
Here the geography, the weather, the sun, the sea, the people, the past and the present are gathered to make this phrase a reality.

You only have to visit us to prove it, but before let us tell you about the experience of living in Moquegua.

The Department of Moquegua is one of the twenty five departmental circumscriptions of the Peruvian territory, which since 2003 and until the formation of regions in accordance with law has a particular Regional Government. It is located to the south east of the Peruvian territory, borders on the regions of Tacna, Puno and Arequipa and is border of the Pacific Ocean.

Location
To the North, it borders on Puno and Arequipa; to the south on Tacna and Grau Sea; to the East on the departments of Puno and Tacna; to the West on Arequipa and Grau Sea (Pacific Ocean that corresponds to Peru). It’s located in the south west region; it has coastal and Andean regions. Ubinas, its unsettling volcano, is the only one in activity all over Peru. On its hillsides, the land is fertile, in contrast with the desolation of its tops.

South latitude: 15º 58´ 15".
West latitude: between meridians 70º 48´ 5" and 71º 29´ 18".
Number of provinces: 3.
Number of departments: 20.
Weather: subtropical and sunny dessert, with a temperature of 68.9ºF (20,5°C), a maximum of 91.4ºF (33°C) and a minimum near 48.2ºF (9°C).

Economy
The Ilo olive plantations are the main agricultural business that is the occupation of most people from Moquegua. It is also highlighted the sowing of the Samegua avocado. Omate is the production centre of fruits, especially lemon, lime and apricot. However, the livestock is bred in almost the Andean region of this region and the shepherding and sheep also constitute an important activity. Regarding the mining, the copper resources are numerous in the Quellaveco and Cuajone mines. The energy in general comes from the Ilo coal-fired power station that has a great influence area. Regarding the commerce, this is active in the Port of Ilo, where it is located the biggest factory of fish meal and oil of the country. Besides, it develops a small industry of Oporto and Burgundy wines.

HISTORY
We have been historically inhabited by nomadic groups of hunters and fishers, about 12 thousand years ago. The Huaracanes, the first sedentary cultures that decided Moquegua was the ideal place to live, about three thousand years ago. Then the Tiwanaju and the Wari cultures, that arrived from very far lands, obviously attracted by the generosity of our land and its sea. They curiously shared, besides the commerce, the same worship place, the Cerro Baúl, our tutelary Apu.

In the same period, there were appearing local cultures such as the Chiribaya, which was installed in the fertile valley of the Osmore River, the Tumilaca and the Estuquiña, until near the year 1,475 of our period, the Incas attached us their Empire.

This rich cultural variety that today can be observed in the Contisuyo museum constituted in the city of Moquegua and the Museo de Sitio of El Algarrobal, make us unique in Peru; one of the many reasons why you should visit us.

When the emancipation started to appear, we were the first ones that in 1,814, before others in Peru, shouted “Freedom”, this patriotic spirit made us suffer repetitive attacks and sackings to the city and, in the Pacific War, lose our supremacy in the South American winegrowing markets.

We can still see from our ancestors, in the valley of Moquegua, the geoglyphs dating from the Tiwanacota period and even before, such as Chen Chen, Omo, Cruz Verde, Corpanto, Tres Quebradas and Platanales beach; at the top of Cerro Baúl, located at 24 Km. from the city, we can find archaeological remains of the Wari culture, where there are still celebrated the reward ceremonies to the Pachamama.

Beyond, at 33 Km. from Moquegua and at 2,890 meters above the sea level, there is Camata, an archaeological zone differentiated by the cultures that constructed it and inhabited in Camata Town, from Estuquiña affiliation and in Camata Tambo, from Incas.

As mentioned before, you can see remains of these cultures in the Contisuyo museum and the Museo de sitio of El Algarrobal.

The city of Moquegua, founded in 1,541, with narrow streets, Sevillian bars, cardboard balconies and beautiful ancestral homes, is an invitation to make a tour in it and discover its treasures; here we have places such as the Santo Domingo Cathedral, that contains remains of St. Fortunate, Palestinian Virgin and Martyr of III Century, brought to Moquegua in 1,798 and venerated by all people from Moquegua; the Mother Church Wall of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the Belen Chapel, catacombs and the religious complex of St. Francisco, Noble Houses (Mansions) of the Earl of Alastaya, from the Flor Angulo, Chocano, Fernández de Córdova, Fernández Maldonado Families, also known as “La Casa de las 10 Ventanas” (The 10-Window House) and the Solar de las Serpientes (Serpent Noble House), the former Centre of Reclusion, from the colonial period, nowadays headquarters of the National Institute Culture, the Municipal Library and the forever beautiful and shady Main Square, with its French beautiful fountain designed by Gustavo Eiffel.

Besides the treasures of the city, we can see traces of our past in the Torata and Omate villages, with their stone hydraulic mills, in Carumas with its baroque-mixed race church, and in Ilo, that besides the famous Temple of St. Jerónimo, hosts colonial noble houses and a seafront and a small square where you can observe beautiful sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.

PRESENT
Moquegua, as we know it now, was declared Department in 1,936. We are politically divided into three provinces: Mariscal Nieto, Ilo and General Sánchez Cerro, each one with particular features, being their capitals the cities of Moquegua, Ilo and Omate respectively.

Economically speaking, we live from the Agriculture, with wines and piscos produced in the valley of Moquegua, the Samegua avocados, olives from the valley of Ilo and the Omate fruits; from Fishing, with the Pacific sea resources that are exploited in the booming Port of Ilo; and from Mining, with the vast copper reserves of the Cuajone mine.

FOLKLORE
Of course, all this historical background is accompanied with their respective feasts and particular dances, such as Omate Holly Week, the Feast of St. Fortunate, San Pedro & San Pablo in Ilo, Carnivals of Cuchumbaya and Calacoa, the Candelaria in Torata, Harvests of Moquegua & Omate and dances of Sarauja, Cacharpaya, Palomita or Ccuno, Pules, Negritos, Tucumanes and Choquela; another reason for coming to visit us and enjoy them.

NATURE
Geographically speaking, we have everything, from the Pacific coastal dessert, where there are contrasted inter-coastal green valleys, such as Osmore, moving upward to the not less fertile inter-Andean valleys, such as Moquegua & Omate, to reach the top of volcanoes, in the high Andean zone. Here, jointly with the still active Ubinas & Tixani, we find gullies and dessert zones of wonderful and strange beauty, with impressive rocky formations. As if that weren't enough, we are one of the few places in the world that has geysers, such as Putina and Coalaque, which appearing on the river’s banks, make their water to get hot and invite us to take a relaxing bath.

Our valley of Moquegua is the third one in the world with greater quantity of sun hours annually; it is dry and mild, with an average temperature of 71.6ºF (22ºC), another reason why you can visit us whenever you want, during the whole year.

At the conquest times, the Spanish recognized how fertile are our lands and how good is our weather and in that way they sowed vines and olives that made us become one of the most important producers of wines, brandy, olives and olive oil of the era; being, at the same time, the commercial route, and obliged pass from the high plateau to the coast.

The nature has also provided us with very beautiful places; we have a circuit of more than forty beaches where it’s possible to practice different aquatic sports; near one of them, the Pozo de Lisas beach, we find the Ecological and Tourist Reserve of Punta Coles, that hosts about four thousand seals, from both varieties, fine and common, besides a great colony of guano producing seabirds such as Humboldt penguins, pelecanoides (Potoyuncos), guanays, Sula Variegata (piqueros), pelicans and cormorants, among others.

We have waterfalls such as the Mollisaja, Queñuas forests, and Yareta plains in the high Andean zone.

Volcanoes that are present in our territory have given us a great quantity of thermal sources, such as Putina, Puente Bello, Exchaje, Cuchumbaya, Ullucán and Calientes. These volcanoes have left their mark in our land, the Huaynaputina, that erupted in the year 1,600 spread ashes to a vast zone where you can still see them; the Ubinas is almost in constant eruption and the Tixani emits fumaroles that can be seen from near the crater if you are encouraged to climb up to its top, located at 5,408 meters above the sea level, at its foot, it appears the valley with the same name, very beautiful, with old platforms and the possibility to practice adventure sports.

In the Tambo River there is a canoeing contest annually among the prawn boats; and if you like the sportive fishing, you can do it in Coralaque, Suches or Pasto Grande lagoons.

All this is accompanied with a great variety of flora such as the Mastuerzo, the Chiriro, the Quella, the Cortadera, Queñoas, Ortigas, among others; the fauna is represented by the Suri, the Huallata, the Parihuana, the Vizcacha, the Vicuna, the Puma, the Águila Cordillerana, the Partridge, the Parrots, the Zorro Andino (Dusicyon culpaeus), the Tarucas and the Zorrino among other species.

GASTRONOMY
If all these attractions were not enough for you, we can add the Gastronomy, Moquegua has the same variety in its dishes than in its history and geography, here we can mention some such as Cuy Frito, Moqueguano de Camarón, Picante de Mariscos, Cacharrada, Chicharrón de Chancho, Sea Fruits, Sango, Picante de Cuy, Pulpo al Olivo, Chupín de Pejesapo, Patasca Moqueguana and Chicharrón de Pulpo.

Add to this the famous sweets from Moquegua such as Alfajor de Penco, Guargüero, Manjar Blanco, Torta de Maíz, Oquendo and Hojaldrillo and you will get an almost complete delicacy, but it’s only missing the finale. Wines and Piscos of the region!

A special mention, as finale, is for the famous “Ruta del Pisco” (Route of the Pisco), that combines the culture and wine gastronomy. The first grapes, brought from Europe were perfectly adapted to the dry and sunny weather of our valleys. After the Pacific War, from the hundred and twenty wineries there were at that moment, there are only twenty at present; eleven of them have been joined to bring to life this particular “route”. Covering the beautiful campaign and the quiet city, you can visit these wineries, one of them internationally prize-winning, observe the traditional technique to distil the Peruvian national drink, and taste it in its most famous varieties, the Aromatic Pure Pisco, the Non Aromatic Pisco, the Mosto Verde and Acholado. These wineries also produce wines and liquors such as Mistela, Misión, Leche de Monja, Chimbango de Tres Higos and a variety of fruit macerates.

Come on, cheer up, Moquegua is waiting for you!