Old photos of Trujillo

Trujillo, on the northern coast of Peru, was founded by the Spanish in the 1530s and named after the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro in Spain. It lies beside the ruins of Chan Chan, the vast adobe capital of the Chimu kingdom conquered by the Incas in the 15th century and now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and near the earlier Moche pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. The colonial city was laid out on a grid around a plaza and was enclosed by a wall in the 17th century as a defence against pirates.

Trujillo prospered from the sugar and other plantations of the surrounding valleys, and its wealthy families built the brightly painted mansions with wrought-iron window grilles and carved wooden balconies that line the streets of the centre. The city played a prominent role in Peru's independence: it was among the first cities to declare independence from Spain, in 1820, and it briefly served as the seat of Simon Bolivar's government. In the 20th century it became a stronghold of the APRA political movement and the scene of a violent uprising in 1932.

Old photographs of Trujillo typically show the Plaza de Armas and cathedral, colonial mansions with iron grilles, the ruins of Chan Chan, sugar haciendas and the reed fishing boats of nearby Huanchaco.

What the photos show

The 217 photographs of Trujillo on PlaceWas span 6 decades, from 1894 to 2025. 16 of them were taken before 1980; the other 201 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.34 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.217 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.