Trujillo

City Peru, Peru

Trujillo is a city on the north coast of Peru. The city is the heart of the second most populous metropolitan area in the country with an estimated population of 906313. It is located at an altitude of 34 meters, on the right bank of the Moche River in the valley of the same name. It was founded on December 6, 1534 by the Spanish Conquistadores Diego de Almagro under the name "Trujillo of New Castile", but was officially founded by Francisco Pizarro on March 5, 1535.

Trujillo is close to two major archeological sites of pre-Columbian monuments: Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the ancient world, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986; and the temples of the Sun and Moon (the largest adobe pyramid in Peru). The city center contains many examples of colonial and religious architecture, often incorporating distinctive wrought ironwork. It includes residential areas, a central business district, and industrial supply distribution to the various districts. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trujillo has its seat here. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion and 10 colonial churches are located within the old city wall, now encircled by Avenida España; additional churches in the towns of Huamán, Huanchaco and Moche are located within 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) of Trujillo's centre. Since 2011, the city has been developing the pilot project Trujillo: Sustainable City, as part of the platform "Emerging and Sustainable Cities of the Inter-American Development Bank", in cooperation with the IDB. In 2012 Trujillo was selected by IBM to participate in a "Smarter Cities Challenge" project intended to improve public safety and transportation through technology.