Cajatambo or Kashatampu is the capital of the
Cajatambo Province in the
Lima Region
The Department of Lima (), known as the Department of the Capital () until 1823, is a department and region located in the central coast of Peru; the seat of the regional government is Huacho.
Lima Province, which contains the city of Lima, ...
of Peru.
History
Founded during the Tawantinsuyu (
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
) before the advent of the Spanish conquistadors, with the name of ''Kasha Tanpu'', it was one of the stops along the
Inca highway, being part of the imperial region of
Chinchay Suyu.
Demography
The population of Cajatambo was estimated in 1896 to be roughly 6,000 people, although roughly 15 years later the
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition put the population at closer to 4,500.
In recent decades many people have migrated to places with better opportunities and services, such as the city of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
.
Spanish is the language which the majority of the population (80%) learnt to speak in childhood, followed by Quechua (19%). The variety of Quechua spoken in the area is the Cajatambo Quechua (part of the Central Quechua "Wankay"), a
Quechua I dialect which shares 74% intelligibility with the neighboring Huamalies Quechua.
Toponymy
The toponym Cajatambo comes from the
Quechua words: kasha ("thorn", "cold") and
tanpu ("inn").
Geography
Geographically, Cajatambo is located in the
Quechua region bordering the
Suni region, its climate is dry and moderately cold with the sun's rays being temperate, however the temperature drops considerably at night.
Climate
Economy
Near the city there are silver mines, which used to employ a section of the population. In 2002, the Peruvian government declared regions of the mountains upon which Cajatambo is located to be protected, and future mining was prohibited.
Cajatambo's main industries are now agricultural and pastoral. It is known for its cheeses, butter,
manjar blanco and
chicharrón
(, plural ; ; ; ) is a dish generally consisting of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds. may also be made from chicken, mutton, or beef.
Name
, as a dish with sauces, or as finger-food snacks, are popular in Andalusia and Canarias in ...
.
Tourism
Tourist attractions near the town include the Astobamba's prairie and its peaks, the Baths of Shucsha, and the
Waywash range.
Inca trails are still preserved and used as bridle paths by the locals.
The fauna of Cajatambo includes wild species:
andean foxes,
vicuña
The vicuña (''Lama vicugna'') or vicuna (both , very rarely spelled ''vicugna'', Vicugna, its former genus name) is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine tundra, alpine areas of the Andes; the other cameli ...
s,
vizcachas,
andean condor
The Andean condor (''Vultur gryphus'') is a South American New World vulture and is the only member of the genus ''Vultur''. It is found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America. With a maximum wingspan of and ...
s, eagles, falcons, among others. In the same town falcons can be seen.
References
{{Coord, 10, 29, S, 77, 02, W, source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title
Populated places in the Department of Lima