History of Huanchaco

Colonial era

Following the Spanish conquest of 1534, the Spanish town was founded as "Huanchaco" on January 1, 1535 by the Franciscan friar Alonso of Escarcena and Juan de Barbaran.

In the colonial era, Huanchaco continued to be the main port of Trujillo city, but the port closed in 1870. Two decades later Victor Larco Herrera rebuilt the pier exclusively for exporting sugar from businesses in neighboring Chicama valley, one of the most important areas of sugar production in the country