Cajamarca

    
The highland city of Cajamarca is one of the most historically important settlements in Peru. It was here that Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish conquistadors held the Inca Atahualpa captive, famously agreeing to ransom him for a room filled with gold and twice over with silver (the room remains a popular tourist attraction today, although it’s doubtful that this was the actual gold room). Cajamarca became an important Spanish colonial settlement, a fact reflected in the local architecture, especially the construction of the city’s churches and cathedral.