Foundation of Trujillo, Peru

The Foundation of Trujillo is an example of Spanish colonial expansion that took place in the area known today as the Valley of Moche in northern Peru. The exact date of Trujillo's foundation is still in dispute; according to historian Napoleón Cieza Burga it is November 1534.

A variety of native peoples lived in the Valley of Moche before the Spanish colonization. The Moche people were assimilated by the Chimu, who in turn were assimilated by the Inca, who were ultimately conquered by the Spanish. The Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area of what is today the city of Huanchaco, and found it inhabited by the indigenous people who worked as fishermen.

Trujillo was one of the first cities in the Americas to be founded by the Spanish conquistadors. It fell within the Viceroyalty of Peru, and was established among four Chimu settlements, Huanchaco, Huamán, Moche and Mampuesto. This was done to create an alliance against the Incas. On November 23, 1537, King Charles I of Spain gave the town the rank of "city" and the coat of arms that remains the city's symbol. This made Trujillo the first city in Peru to receive a coat of arms from a Spanish monarch.

Some of the suggested dates for the founding of Trujillo city are:

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