Sihuas

Sihuas district map.

Sihuas, founded as Nuestra Señora de las Nieves de Sihuas in 1543, is a Peruvian city, capital of the district and from the homonymous province in the northern part of the Conchucos area in the department of Áncash. It is about 7 hours by road from Huaraz and 13 hours from Lima. It had a population of 1600 hab. projected for 2020. It is located at 2700 ms. no. m. and it has a temperate climate with averages of 21 °C in summer and 15 °C in winter.

Geography

Location

The district of Sihuas is located in the Sierra Oriental de Áncash. Part of its territory —which includes the Quechua, Suni or Jalca, Puna and Janca altitudinal floors. The town of Sihuas is located within the fluvial Yunga ecoregion.

Northwest: Province of Pallasca	North: Province of Pallasca	Northeast: Province of Pallasca
West: Corongo Province		This: Pataz Province
Southwest Huaylas Province	South: Pomabamba Province	Sureste: Pataz Province

Climate

Average Sihuas climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	22.2	21.7	21.9	21.9	21.8	22.7	22.9	22.9	23.2	22.7	22.8	22.9	22.5
Average temperature (°C)	15.6	15.4	15.4	15	14.1	13.8	13.7	13.7	14.7	15.1	15.3	15.6	14.8
Temp. medium (°C)	9	9.1	8.9	8.2	6.5	4.9	4.5	4.6	6.2	7.5	7.9	8.3	7.1
Total precipitation (mm)	81	99	115	66	22	11	8	10	28	69	68	74	651
Source: climate-data.org

History

Sihuas was founded on August 5, 1543 with the name of La Villa de la Santísima Virgen María de las Nieves, the date on which the Spanish horse captain Juan Gómez Arias de Sigüenza, designated Encomendero de Sihuas, brought the image of the virgin. The first stage of the colonial temple was built between 1560 and 1605, on the 4 m wide foundations of the Aclla Huasi and the Tambo existing at that time.