Caleta Cruz, Perú

Jan 20, 2023

Caleta Cruz, Perú: Population: less than 10,000 for the entire metropolitan area.

Caleta Cruz was designated a district in 1962. In 1532 the conquistador Francisco Pizarro placed a cross, the symbol of the Catholic church, on the hill over the region. Then in 1842 the cross was removed to the Church of La Merced in the town Piura (a little ways south of Caleta Cruz). Then sometime later it was again moved, this time to the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Perú in Lima. There is talk about building a museum at the original site and moving the cross back to its rightful place. In 1926 an oil exploration company came into the area and with their work they also constructed the first actual roads in Caleta Cruz. Prior to these roads the people used only trails to get around the area. Commercial fishing took off after 1946 bringing in more companies.

Caleta Cruz has a transitional arid subtropical climate. That sounds complicated, it's coastal subtropical for part of the year, and dry tropical for the rest of the year (nine months). The average daytime high of 30° C (85° F), and the night average low of 22° C (71° F). The elevation of the city is 14 meters (46 feet). Caleta Cruz averages a measly 97.7mm (3.8 inches) of rain per year, with some years having zero rain recorded.

So, my impressions: I only visited for a few hours while waiting between buses. It's a tiny fishing village, no shopping center, no supermarket, no cash machine (ATM). I don't even remember seeing a gas station. No stop lights that I can recall, as well.

This is my goal: to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70 towns, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people. And, now that I have visited more than 30 towns/cities, I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

At this point in my journey I have two towns on my top-20 list - Catamayo and Puyo, Ecuador. In my travels in Ecuador, I visited 31 towns/cities.

Next up: Talara, Perú.