Pre-Columbian era Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura has been inhabited by their autochthonous group of natives called
tallanes and
yungas. These groups lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the
Muchik culture eventually took control, and the mixture of these evolved into the
Vicús culture. The
Chimor,
Moche and
Wari Empire used to occupy the area surrounding the city. Centuries later, Piura came under the rule of
Tupac Inca Yupanqui of the
Inca Empire for at least 40 years before the Spanish arrived.
Colonial era Francisco Pizarro came to the area and established it as the third Spanish city in South America, and Spain's first city in Peru, known as San Miguel de Tangarará. He originally went all the way to what is now
Tumbes but decided it was not a suitable base for his operations. 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, owing to the arrival of slaves from Madagascar (
Malgache slaves);
Chinese coolies who migrated from
Canton to work the rice fields and replace the slaves; and also
Roma Gypsies who came as pirates looking for
pearls, or incognito as Spanish horsemen. Piura celebrates its founding every 15 of August. Nowadays, Piura is known as the , 'the city of eternal heat', because it is hot all year round.
Independence In 1820, with the incursions of Admirals
Guillermo Brown and Cochrane of the liberating expedition of
José de San Martín, the Piuran population enthusiastically joined the liberating cause, and on January 4, 1821, the independence of Piura was proclaimed in the atrium of the temple of San Francisco. The proclamation was an feat led by the heroes José de Lama, Tomás Cortés, Baltazar Taboada, Tomás Diéguez, the Seminario brothers and others. Likewise, the Piura division of 1,000 men contributed victoriously to the independence of Quito, taking part in the Battle of Pichincha, on May 24, 1822.
Republican era In 1861, the
Department of Piura was created and Piura became the departments capital. The department consisted of three other provinces at the time,
Piura,
Paita and
Ayabaca. In the 1860s, the city of Piura became more dynamic with the cultivation of
Pima cotton, brought by Don Emilio Hilbck from the state of
Arizona in the
United States, which promoted the industrialization and development of the city and the region, and strong immigration. of English, German and Spanish, in that order, and to a lesser extent Italians and Chinese, who brought their customs and also their knowledge of commerce and industry. Many Americans also arrived. They quickly incorporated themselves into the social fabric, forming families with local ladies and inevitably creating new tastes and habits. Even Piura's cuisine was enriched. In agriculture, the use of the steam pump and specialized machinery was introduced, allowing more cropland to be irrigated, expanding the network of canals since the success of Piuran cotton in the international market was a great stimulus for agriculture. New industries appeared such as deep-sea fishing by whaling fleets, mass production and export trade of toquilla straw hats from Catacaos and annexes. Peruvian war hero of the
War of the Pacific against
Chile,
Miguel Grau Seminario was born in Piura on July 27, 1834. He became a hero during the naval
Battle of Angamos. According to historians and the Peruvian state, since 2011, they have given the official birthplace of Grau not to Piura but to the port of Paita. Miguel Grau is the most renowned and iconic Peruvian naval officer, being known as
el Caballero de los Mares (Spanish for "Gentleman of the Seas"). In the 1980s, Piura and the department again experienced an ascending and thriving commercial, industrial and socioeconomic development, despite having been devastated in the 1983 disaster, as a consequence of the
El Niño phenomenon, manifested in torrential rains for six months. that affected its industry, commerce and its urban infrastructure. The El Niño phenomenon that occurred from late 1997 to mid-1998 found the city better prepared, although two of its bridges fell and were subsequently replaced. When it seemed that it was going to be a dry season, in February 2017 it began to rain heavily in what later became known as the coastal Niño phenomenon, and in the early hours of March 27, the river overflowed over the center and northern areas. of the city, causing unforeseen damage, affecting health networks and communication routes.
Present Piura is experiencing strong development of its commercial sector with the installation of large shopping centers and department stores in no less than five points of the city considered strategic by investors. Furthermore, in recent years the city has expanded considerably with the creation of new developments and human settlements. Likewise, its industrial sector was also developed with the inauguration of the "Piura Futura" industrial estate, northwest of Piura. == Geography==