Peru is blessed with a rich and ancient past and a vibrant present, making it one of South America's most popular travel destinations. Thousands of archaeological sites are found all over the country, ranging from 10,000 year old camp sites of early hunters to the monumental stone walls of sixteenth  century Inca Cusco. Indeed, it is difficult to go anywhere in Peru without stumbling upon some ancient reminder of Peru's past. By 2000 B.C. ancient Peruvians were building monumental temples and irrigation systems and had domesticated the llama and a variety of food crops, many of which like the potato are very important in today's world.

In Trujillo, spring is eternal. The sun always shines, filling even the most secluded corners of the capital of the department of La Libertad with light. This light brightens the spirit of an  affable and cordial people, who live proud of their adobe citadels built by the Chimus and Mochicas; their stately mansions, heritage of colonial times and the beginnings of the Republic; and of the 'Marinera', the national dance of Peru, a whirl of sensuality and gallantry from which love is born.

Trujillo, in the northern coast of Peru, was founded in 1534 by Don Diego de Almagro, who, on stopping in the valley of the Moche river on his advance toward Pachacamac (Lima),  "found the place promising and suitable for founding a city", and named it after the Spanish city where conquistador Francisco Pizarro was born.

From the day of its foundation, the city progressed rapidly owing to the productivity of the valley and the tenacity of its people; builders of stately mansions with outstanding artistic window railings in wrought iron, adding a touch of distinction and elegance to Trujillo's architecture.

Yet the enchantment of Trujillo goes beyond its colonial past and slips back into the pre-Hispanic period. The city of Chan-Chan is also in the Moche valley, capital of the Kingdom of the Great Chimu, considered the largest city in the world to be built out of mud (adobe) and covering an area over 20 square kilometers square. This massive citadel is only comparable to Teotihuacan in Mexico or the ancient cities of Egypt.

The Huaca del Sol, a stepped pyramid 20 meters high; the Huaca de la Luna, with fascinating murals representing the rituals of the Mochicas, and the Complejo de El Brujo (El Brujo complex), distinguished for an adobe pyramid 30 meters high and over 15 centuries old, are evidence of the greatness of the first peoples to inhabit the north coast of Peru.

Centuries have passed and they have proven Don Diego de Almagro right, as indeed, the Moche valley was promising and suitable for founding a city. Of this there is no doubt and everyone who gets to know Trujillo, the land of sun and eternal springtime, are well aware of the fact.