The Otuzco is a city located in the highlands of La Libertad, Peru. It is the capital of the Otuzco Province, and it is well known because there is the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Puerta. It is located at around 7°54′00″S 78°35′0″W.
The Otuzcans, led by Don José Corcuera (deputy for the Province of Huamachuco) and Don Enemecio Orbegozo (son of the former President Luis José de Orbegoso), who in 1856 proposed a Law Project, that was not accepted, later proposed a second Law Project, that was accepted by the National Congress on April 17, 1861, and called the “Law of Creation of the Otuzco Province”, in the Department of La Libertad. This law was signed by the President of the Republic, Ramón Castilla, on April 25, 1861.
The same Law divided the Province of Huamachuco in two, and created the Province of Otuzco. This law made the town of Otuzco the capital of the Province of Otuzco; it was later reincorporated as a city.
Otuzco is a traditional mountain community. Unlike Cuzco, which has been transformed into a commercial tourist destination, Otuzco has remained relatively traditional with people still going about their daily lives as they have for generations. It is 73 kilometers from the city of Trujillo, accessible by bus for a day trip. There are also several hotels. The primary charm of Otuzco lies in the traditional lifestyles and customs of the people; people are dressed in their colorful traditional clothing, selling their wares in the streets and markets, coaxing their donkeys along the roads and trails in a town where the majority of the buildings are still built the way they have been for centuries. Otuzco is surrounded by mountains and gorges.
