Otuzco

Otuzco
The Cathedral of Otuzco
Nickname(s): capital of faith
Otuzco
Coordinates: 7°54.0′S 78°35.0′W / 7.9000°S 78.5833°W / -7.9000; -78.5833Coordinates: 7°54.0′S 78°35.0′W / 7.9000°S 78.5833°W / -7.9000; -78.5833
Country	Peru
Region	La Libertad Region
Province	Otuzco Province
Incorporated (city)	November 15, 1890
Government
• Mayor	Diómedes Veneros Orecho
Elevation	2,641 m (8,665 ft)
Population (2005)
• Total	25,134
• Density	56.6/km2 (147/sq mi)
• Demonym	Otuzcan
Time zone	PET (UTC-5)

The Otuzco is a city located in the highlands of La Libertad, Peru. It is the capital of the Otuzco Province, and it is well known because there is the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Puerta. It is located at around 7°54′00″S 78°35′0″W / 7.90000°S 78.58333°W / -7.90000; -78.58333.

The Otuzcans, led by Don José Corcuera (deputy for the Province of Huamachuco) and Don Enemecio Orbegozo (son of the former President Luis José de Orbegoso), who in 1856 proposed a Law Project, that was not accepted, later proposed a second Law Project, that was accepted by the National Congress on April 17, 1861, and called the "Law of Creation of the Otuzco Province", in the Department of La Libertad. This law was signed by the President of the Republic, Ramón Castilla, on April 25, 1861.

The same Law divided the Province of Huamachuco in two, and created the Province of Otuzco. This law made the town of Otuzco the capital of the Province of Otuzco; it was later reincorporated as a city.

The Otuzcan area has been inhabited since the upcoming of the first human groups in the Region of La Libertad. It is an Andean city inhabited by descendants of the original inhabitants people of Peru, who have mixed with the people who came from Spain ever since the first years of Spanish domination. The majority are mestizo. It was inhabited by the Yungas and the Quechuas.

Otuzco is a city in the La Libertad highlands with narrow streets and elevated houses of wide doors and tiled roofs. It is surrounded by the Andean landscape, which features the Tupullo Gorge, the Pollo River, and La Ermita mountain. Otuzco is much visited by religious pilgrims who come to pray to the Virgin de la Puerta (Virgin of the Gate), patron saint of the city.