Pampas Grande, founded as San Jerónimo de Pampas, is a Peruvian town and capital of the Pampas Grande district, located in the central part of Callejón de Huaylas in the Ancash region, about 4 hours from Huaraz and 9 from Lima. It has an approximate population of 1044 inhabitants, located at an average altitude of 3690 meters. It has a cold climate with average temperatures of 17 °C in summer and 12 °C in winter.
Little is known about the history of Pampas Grande before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. The Kajur archaeological site is one of the oldest human settlements in this part of the Cordillera Negra.Ubillus, Mónica Suárez. Kajur: ancestral sitio arqueológico en Pampas Grade, Ancash, Perú The Cuchicoto archaeological site located near the Canchón summit shows the influence of the Recuay culture during the Early Intermediate period. The region was conquered by the Inca Empire between approximately 1430 and 1450, during the rule of the Inca Pachacútec.
The first reference to Pampas Grande by Spanish colonizers was in 1597, by the missionary Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo. In 1774, the parish of La Asunción de Huaylas was founded. The town of Pampas was established at that time, being made up of members of the ayllu Poma, west of the town of Cajamarquilla. By 1857, the district of Pampas was officially created, with the capital being Pampas.Consejo de Ministros (25 de julio de 1857). «Ley del 25 de julio de 1857: Erigiendo las provincias del Cercado de Huaráz y Huaylas en el departamento de Ancash». Lima. In 2009, a vote was held to change the name of the town from Pampas to Pampas Grande, and on March 15, 2012, the town was formally renamed Pampas Grande.
The main economy is based in agriculture and livestock basically. Tourism and mining, to a lesser extent, are also sources of economic income. Festivals and holidays include the Shancac Festival, the Virgen de Fátima Patronal Festival, the New Year's Party from January 1 to 4, Christmas, and the Patronal Festival in honor of Saint Jerome from September 29 to October 2. The traditional dances that stand out are negrazos and the pastorcillos.«PLAN DISTRITAL DE SEGURIDAD CIUDADANA Y CONVIVENCIA SOCIAL PAMPAS GRANDE 2015». Comité Distrital de Seguridad Ciudadana Pampas Grande CODISEC Pampas Grande: 52.
Geography
Location The Pampas Grande district is located on the western slope of the Cordillera Negra. Its territory includes the Yunga, Quechua, Suni or Jalca and Puna elevational levels. Its altitude range ranges from 550m when close to the border with Casma up to 4600 meters above sea level. The city of Pampas is located in the Jalca region.
Terrain The town is on a plateau with varying elevation, which rises from its lowest point in the populated center of Sensen at 550m., to 4600m. near Laguna Hurguacocha.MAPA VIAL DE LA PROVINCIA DE HUARAZ, DEPARTAMENTO DE ANCASH The plateau is quite rugged, with an abundance of mountainous terrain, due to being in the Cordillera Negra fault. The fault has been sinking the entire Callejón de Huaylas area since the quaternary period (2588 million years ago) at the rate of 1mm / year.
Hydrography Pampas Grande is framed on the left bank of the Casma River basin, being located in the upper part of the Quebrada Victoria sub-basin; very close to the watershed with the Culebras river basin, with altitudes ranging from 4,600 to 2,400 meters above sea level.
Pira River Mainly formed by the sub-basin of the Pira river. Politically it is located in the Ancash department, Huaraz province and Pira district; It is located in the upper part of the basin at an average altitude of 3,850 meters above sea level. The main channel runs 22.91 km with a 9.72% slope from its sources in the Paria gorge at 4 395 m above sea level. until it joins the left bank with the Vado river at 2,168 meters above sea level, from the union of the Pira and Vado rivers the Chacchán river is born. Your tour begins in the Paria gorge, Yupanga and the Pira river. This basin occupies an area of 164.80 km2, represents 5.5% of the total area of the Casma river basin (2,990.70 km2), the average annual precipitation in the Pira river hydrographic unit varies from 450 to 800 mm.
Vado River Politically it belongs to the districts of La Libertad and Colcabamba, Huaraz province of the Ancash department; It is located at an average altitude of 3,550 meters above sea level. The main channel runs 25,967 km. with a slope of 18.45% from its springs at 4640 m.a.s.l. in the Miquicocha lagoon until its union by the left bank of the Chacchán river at 1 991 m above sea level. Your tour begins in the Miquicocha lagoon and continues through the Sacya, Puru Puru and Vado river gorges. This basin occupies an area of 163.70 km2, representing 5.5% of the total area of the Casma river basin (2,990.70 km2); The entire basin is humid and the average annual rainfall in the hydrographic unit varies from 350 to 800 mm.
Climate Pampas Grande is cold, with dry summers (May–September) with sunny days that have average temperatures of 17 °C, however temperatures can reach up to 24 degrees. During the night, the temperature drops and can get as low as 8 °C, which can produce frost. In winter (October–March), the days are cloudy with frequent drizzles and heavy rains. The average temperature reaches 14 °C and can drop to 5 °C.
Ecology Pampas Grande presents ecological formations of estepa, montano and páramo very humid sub-alpine, sub-humid mountains and puna. The sub-humid mountains have a sub-humid and cold climate and present a very rugged terrain, the current use of which is semi-intensive agriculture, mainly rainfed, with these characteristics being present in the upper part of the Chorrillos hamlet and the town of Pampas Grande. The sector of use of puna or paramo, presents a humid and frigid climate with poor vegetation that serves as grazing for sheep and cattle. This area is located mainly in the entire extension of the Matara hamlet and upper parts of the Quebradas Pacchac and Chorrillos basins.
Vegetation The flora is largely dominated by Eucalyptus trees and the Swiss pine (Pinus cembra). They share the habitat with native Andean vegetation, such as quenual, tara, quishuar, molle, ichu, and an abundant number of aromatic plants such as cedar and muña.
Wildlife Among the mammals, tarucas, deer, llamas, spectacled bears and foxes stand out in the thickest areas of the puna forests. Rodents such as vizcacha and muca are common in stony areas. There is also a great diversity of birds: raptors, such as the condor, sparrowhawk and kestrel; and nocturnal, such as the owl; waterfowl, such as the Andean duck; and passerines, such as the house sparrow, goldfinch, and nightingale. There are also migratory birds, such as swallows, which nest during the winter in wetlands. There are also lizards, snakes, toads, and frogs.
History
Presence in ancient Peru and the Inca Empire The archaeological site of Kajur is one of the oldest human settlements in this part of the Cordillera Negra. The archaeological site of Cuchicoto located near the summit of Canchón shows the influence of Recuay culture during the Early Intermediate period.
The priest Augusto Soriano Infante collected in 1953 a myth about the pre-Inca foundation of Pampas Grande:Folklore, Vol. III No 31, Lima, septiembre, 1953 p.1021 After a bloody and long campaign of resistance against the expanding Inca Empire led by Huayna Cápac, the Lordship of Huaylas surrendered to the Inca Empire at a high cost. The most important temple of the Huaylas, Pumacayán, was destroyed, and as a vassal, all the curacas of the mentioned ethnic groups were forced to send their daughters with the Inca to join it as secondary wives.Orsini, Carolina (2015). Arqueología de Chacas. Comunidades, asentamientos y paisaje en un valle de los Andes Centrales del Perú. Italia, Edizioni Pendragon.
Following the population order of the Incas, the huaylas were subdivided into two parts: Hanan Huaylas and Hurin Huaylas, territories that included the current provinces of Huaylas, Yungay and Carhuaz in Hanan Huaylas, and the provinces of Huaraz, Recuay and Aija in Hurin Huaylas, Pampas would become part of this subdivision under the Inca administrative center of Recuay Viejo.
Colonial time period The inhabitants of the Huaylas ethnic group surrendered without resistance to the Spanish conquerors in order to get rid of the Incas. A few years later, the conquerors began with the distribution of these lands and the founding of plantations and sugar mills to take advantage of native labor.
After the Spanish conquest, the Pampas territory belonged to the encomienda de Recuay, which also included the towns of Recuay and Aija.
This encomienda was owned by the conquerors Jerónimo de Aliaga and Sebastián de Torres until the year 1537, remaining in the hands of Jerónimo de Aliaga until his return to Spain in 1550. After that year, the Recuay Encomienda entered into dispute, remaining in the hands of Juan de Aliaga until 1570, when the Encomienda de Recuay was united with that of Huaraz, being designated encomendero Don Hernando de Torres.
In 1605 in the part that is today Pampas Grande the huaranga of Ichocpoma belonging to the saya of Lurin-Huaylla was located.Información de Ampuero / Yupanqui, 1557: 282 In 1651, in the Huaylas huaranga the doctrine of La Asunción de Huaylas was founded, with two partialities: Allauca and Ichoc.AAL. Padrón de Atunhuaylas 1774. Here was the town of Pampas, with the ayllu Poma, west of Cajamarquilla.Padrón de Pampas. AAL- 1774.
Foundation The foundation of the town was carried out during the government of the viceroy Francisco de Toledo, promoter of the reductions of Indians, that is, populations of natives with their main square, church, town hall and their own plots. Until then the native population lived dispersed in the territory and this measure facilitated the work of the priests and the authorities in general. It was the norm to establish the cities of the colonized territories by imposing the name of a saint under whose protection and devotion the foundation was made. The reduction was named "San Jerónimo de Pampas", possibly on September 30, the saint's holiday.
There is a tradition, according to which the first foreigners who set foot on Pampas land were the Portuguese, who came from Huánuco in search of mines, accompanied by Huanuqueño Indian miners, since in Huánuco there was a company of bell melters called María Angola.
Years later, the Spaniards arrived wanting to found a town in what is now La Victoria, making a foundation for the chapel, from which it says the effigy of San Jerónimo had escaped. After several days of searching, they found the Patron Saint in the current site where the main church of Pampas Grande is, at that time the area where the church is, was not an appropriate site for an urbanization, they were chacras with platforms, full of ankicashan 6. Due to the difficulties the Spanish had moved to Cañipampa where they also formed a chapel, again the effigy of San Jerónimo escaped, being again in the same place, where there was a huge rock, whose edges were surrounded by pucakantu bushes, true bush with red flowers.