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Huaraz History
Several centuries before the Tahuantinsuyo, important cultural centers developed in the Region, such as Chavín, Recuay and Sechín. In Ancash there is remote evidence of Peruvian man's presence, such as the Guitarreros cave, where traces have been found of the first horticulturists of Peru (9000 B.C.). The Chavín Culture, which dates from 1000 to 300 B.C., represents a summary of the initial development of Andean culture. This was a highly hierarchical population with a well--developed agriculture and handicraft industry. The end of the Chavín Culture coincides with the appearance of a new cultural expression, characterized by a predominantly white and red type of ceramic, identified with the Recuay Culture (100 - 600 A.C). In the middle of the 15th century the Region was under the rule of the Incas. Nevertheless, the Huaylas and Conchucos, the biggest ethnic groups in the area, tried to preserve their identity, and this is why they were quickly identified by the Spaniards as being groups which were different from the Incas. Hispanic chronicle tell of a beautiful princess from the Kingdom of Huaylas, by the name of Quispe Sisa, who captured the heart of the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, and when she was baptized as Inés Yupanqui, an important alliance was sealed for the Hispanic colonizers. Towards the mid 16th century some Spaniards had settled in the valley to take advantage of its fertile soil. By the 17th century, Huaraz was already a settlement with straight streets, going to and from the Main Square, where the main church was located, as well as the town hall and the jail. The inhabitants of the Region confronted the Spanish authorities many times regarding ill-treatment. The same fighting spirit persevered throughout the independence wars and during the early years of the Republic.
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