Capital
The Capital of this province is the city of Ayavaca, at 2,715 meters (8,907 ft) of altitude, with a cold, healthy climate. Its Spanish foundation dates back to 1571, when the local indigenous population was gathered to create the village of "Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Ayavaca". The city is the center of a great religious devotion, dedicated to Jesus Christ under the name of Señor Cautivo (Captive Lord), represented in the figure of an "Ecce Homo", which might have been inspired, on the one hand, in the Christ of Medinaceli, Spain, and on the other hand, in the local religious traditions. The festivity of the Señor Cautivo, whose central day is October 13, attracts a large quantity of pilgrims from many different zones of north Peru and from Ecuador and Colombia. Some groups of pilgrims, who walk about 2,500 kilometers (1,600 mi) from Tacna, in the south of Peru, make of this pilgrimage the most far-reaching one of the continent. A secondary festivity of the Señor Cautivo is carried out on January 1, with participation of peasants from the Piura coast and valleys, who approach the sanctuary in petition of water or to demonstrate gratitude for the rains.
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Famous quotes containing the word capital:
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—Sydney Smith (1771–1845)
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—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)