Chiclayo is the commercial centre of northern Peru, so it's better famed for its banks than its heritage. Nevertheless it has its attractions, even if most of the city is an urban sprawl modernizing and growing by the month. The heart of CHICLAYO is the central plaza, known as the Parque Principal , where there's a futuristic fountain that's elegantly lit at night. You'll also find the neoclassical Cathedral here, built in 1869 and with its main doorway supported by Doric columns, and the Palacio Municipal , a Republican edifice built in 1919. Along Calle San José, you'll find the Convento Franciscano Santa Maria , built in the early seventeenth century but destroyed, apart from the second cloister, by El Niño rains in 1961. But the main focus of activity is along Avenida Jose Balta , between the plaza and the town's fascinating Central Market . Packed daily with food vendors at the centre, and other stalls around the outside, this is one of the best markets in the north - and a revelation if you've just arrived in the country. The market boasts a whole section of live animals, including wild fox cubs, canaries, and even the occasional condor chick, and you can't miss the rayfish known as la guitarra hanging up to dry in the sun before being made into a local speciality - pescado seco. But the most compelling displays are the herbalists' shops, selling everything from herbs and charms to whale bones and hallucinogenic cacti. Hotels in Chiclayo |
ROOMS Peru
