Trujillo, the town of Pizarro, Orellana and many other conquistadors of South America, reflects the fortune these men made by conquering the realm of the Inkas and looting as much gold and silver as possible for themselves and the kingdom of Spain under Charles V. Today this little town with its Plaza Mayor surrounded by many palaces built by the conquistadors and their families is a major hotspot for tourists.
There are a couple of small museums dedicated to the conquest of South America. Museo Casa Pizarro is located in Francisco Pizarro’s house of birth.
The large-format mural of an Indian woman with all the fruits that came to Europe from South America, next to it a European with the plants that were transferred from Europe to America – very fascinating!
Francisco de Orellana, a cousin of Pizarro, completed the first known navigation of the entire length of the Amazon River, which initially had been named “Rio de Orellana” until reports of skirmishes that included the women warriors of the Tapuyas tribe (Amazons) brought about the name change. He died during the second expedition to the Amazon River.
The castle was built in the 13th century on an old Moorish fortress. The square towers of Islamic military architecture are still preserved.
Trujillo was really a fascinating town to visit with so many palaces and the beautiful main square – even with a lot of rain, we had enjoyed our visit a lot. Our next destination will be the most important monastery of all of Spain. More on our next post!