Piura is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. The population is around 380.000.
It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532. Piura declared its independence on January 4, 1821.
Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura had been inhabited by their autochthonous group of natives called tallanes (caribbean origin) and yungas. These lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the Mochicas eventually took control and the mixture of these evolved into the Vicus Culture. Centuries later, Piura came under the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, at least for around 40 years and before the Spanish arrived.
With the arrival of the Spanish in 1532, the current mestizo and creole cultures of Piura were born. This mestizo culture includes influences from Spanish Extremadura and Andalucia, African influence due to the arrival of slaves from Madagascar (Malgache slaves), the Chinese coolies that migrated from Canton to work the rice fields and replace the slaves; and also Roma Gypsies who came as pirates looking for pearls or as incongite Spanish horsemen.
