Historic centre
Piura is famous for its Colonial and Republican heritage, especially for Miguel Grau, a hero of Peru?s war with Chile in the late 19th century. Miguel Grau?s house (Tacna 662) is now a museum. The Plaza de Armas is pleasant and has 24 shady tamarind trees. The Cathedral is worth visiting, as is the Iglesia del Carmen for its religious paintings. The Iglesia San Francisco is the oldest in Piura, and independence in the region was declared from here.
***Museo Vicús
(Mon-Sat, 9.30am ?1pm, 4pm ? 6.30pm, $1)
The Museo Municipal in Piura has undergone a major transformation, and in May 2001 the Sala de Oro was inaugurated. This displays 63 gold objects previously on display in the Museo Brüning in Lambayeque, including jewellery found in the tomb of the Señor de Ollos and other jewellery from the Vicús culture from around 1000AD. Many of the items were in the Cerro Ladrillo Blanco in Frías, near Ayabaca. The highlights of the exhibition are two intricate laminated gold pieces, one a 15 centimetre-tall figure if the Diosa de Frías, and the other a 10 centimetre-tall figure of a naked man. Most of the pieces on display were originally recovered from grave robbers, and much of the jewellery was on sale in a jewellery shop in Chiclayo.
The museum is still under renovation, and it is hoped that during 2002 further rooms will open to exhibit many ceramic pieces.
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