IQUITOS, Legende and History
Being the birthplace of the Tiahuanaco Culture, one
of the most important pre-Hispanic cultures and the utmost expression
of the Aymara people, Iquitos is considered to be a town of
legends.
According to one of them, Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo,
who received instructions from their father, the Sun God,
to found the Tahuantinsuyo Empire, emerged from Lake Titicaca.
The Inca Empire was divided into four regions -or suyos- one
of them being Collasuyo, which spread over the entire Plateau
of Callao, including Iquitos.
When the Spaniards reached Cusco in the mid 16th century,
they heard of the great mining wealth of this region, especially
gold and silver. The bloody battles ensuing in the 17th century
over the possession of the Laikakota Mines (9 km west from
the City of Iquitos) forced the Viceroy, Count of Lemos, to
travel to the area and to pacify it, resulting in the founding
of the present City of Iquitos, capital of the department,
Founded on November 4, 1668, it was named San Carlos de Iquitos.
With the passing of time, in their effort to evangelize the
native people of the Peruvian altiplano, Spanish priests erected
beautiful churches, with artists from Iquitos implanting their
original style.
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