Tourist Information of Tacna, Peru
-A border city to Arica, Chile
英雄の町タクナ
＊Tacna＊
Peru's most southerly settlement in the desert, a city that belonged to Chile as recently as 1929, but now is part of Peru. The population is about 300,000 and it's Peru's tenth most populous city. It's at an altitude of 562m and is located 35km north of the border with Arica, Chile.
Tacna originates from the Quechua words, which would mean "a place to hit".
In the weekend chilean come to shopping to Tacna to get stuffs which are much cheaper than in Chile. Today Tacna is a mostly commercial city.
Some small museums will smooth the wait you, but English speaker will have harder time to communicate with local people who speak only Spanish and work in hotels, restaurantes, shops, museums and information center.
The center of the city is a plaza, Paseo Civico. Around the plaza and the street, Av. Bolognesi is the main tourist area. To walk around, it takes about 1 hour.
＊History＊
In 1535 the first groups of Spanish conquerors arrived. Later years,some violent earthquakes hit however they were rebuit the city.
In 1811, Francisco Antonio de Zela who is a income tax auditor, initiated the push for Peruvian Independence from Spain in Tacna. And in the 1828 declaration of Tacna as the "Heroic City" by President Jose de La Mar.
Present-day in 1880, Tacna Region was occupied by forces from neighboring Chile as a result of the War of the Pacific.Tacna was reincorporated into Peruvian sovereignty in 1929. And today it's known for being one of the most patriotic areas in the country and called "the city of heroes".
eteenth centu
＊climate＊
Tacna has a mild desert climate. This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. You don't need umbrella.
In the building, normally there are no air conditioner. You'd better to bring your jacket during your stay.
＊Religion＊
The major religion in Tacna is Catholicism. But in the centro, a mosque was completed in 2008.
＊Political division＊
The Tacna Region is divided into 4 provinces, which are composed of 26 districts.
4 provinces, with their capitals in parenthesis, are: Tacna[Tacna], Candarave[Candarave], Jorge Basadre[Locumba], Tarata[Tarata].
＊Hospital information＊
In Tacna, there are many big hospitals and dentists which open to foreigners. Some are fulled with chilean. It depends of hospital, if you go to see a doctor who is famous and popular, you should wait some hours after you get a waiting card. Local people speaks only spanish and hard to find somebody who can understand English. Normally, payment is cash only.
＊Public Security＊
It's said that Tacna has better public security than other cities in Peru. Policemen walked around tourist area to check security. But you should take care some points. For example: No using your iPods, iPhones o mobile/cellular phone in public. No flashy jewelry and watches. Keep eye on your laggage always. Use a safe radio-taxi. Use the brighter way which local people walk down in the night. Check your behind when you walk down the street.
＊Postal Service＊
Serpost (-El correo) Address：Av. Bolognesi 361 TEL：54-724221 Office Hours：Mon-Sun 08:00-18:00
In the post office, there is a small postal museum. Entrance fee is free. You can see old stamps, mail-boxes, postmarks and etc.
Sending and receiving mail isn't reliable. A postal service staff said to me, if you don't use the registered mail (Registrado/Certificado), you would lose it. Sending airmail to Europe or North America from Lima, it takes up to 2 weeks. And parcels can take around 4 to 6 weeks. From Tacna, it takes some more weeks. Price is high.