Libertad, La

Department in northern Peru; area 25,495 sq km/9,844 sq mi; population (1996) 1,365,735. The capital is Trujillo. The geographically highly varied department of La Libertad is divided into seven provinces, and contains areas of arid coastal desert, high Andean slopes (in the Cordillera Occidental), and tropical river valleys, notably that of the Marañon (part of the Amazon system). In the highlands, cattle and sheep are reared, and there are many small mines producing copper, lead, coal, and other minerals. Livestock farming, sugarcane, and cotton cultivation supplement fishing and tourism as economic activities of the area. There are important ports at Pacasmayo and Salaveroy.

5 km/3 mi north of Trujillo are the crumbling adobe ruins of Chan Chan, the imperial city of the pre-Incan Chimú civilization. The ruins cover 28 sq km/11 sq mi and consist of great citadels, wells, and burial mounds. A few kilometres south of Trujillo are the enormous Moche pyramids, built out of adobe bricks. They are said to be the largest pre-Columbian structures in South America.