Pisco | |
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City | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Pisco | |
| Coordinates:13°43′S76°12′W / 13.71°S 76.2°W /-13.71; -76.2 | |
| Country |  Peru |
| Region | Ica |
| Province | Pisco |
| District | Pisco |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Juan Mendoza Uribe (2019-2022) |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,978.19 km2 (1,535.99 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2015)[1] | 104,656 |
| Demonym | Pisquena(o) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (PET) |
| Website | Official Website |
Pisco (Quechua:Pisqu) is a city located in theDepartment of Ica ofPeru, the capital of thePisco Province. The city is around 9 metres (28 feet) above sea level. Pisco was founded in 1640,[2] close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name. Pisco originally prospered because of its nearby vineyards and became noted for itsgrape brandy orpisco[3] which was exported from its port. Pisco has an estimated population of 104,656 (est. 2015).[4]
The town of Santa Maria Magdalena, which was founded in 1572, had a port named Pisco, after the name of the valley in which it was located. This port became an important route for distribution of the liqueur throughout Peru. Demand for the product grew as sailors from around the world who called into the Port of Pisco created an important international trade link and further demand for the product. Over time, the town of Santa Maria Magdalena became simply known as 'Pisco' with the same name adopted for the grape liqueur produced from the area. In a few decades, Pisco was distributed along the entire coast of Peru and Chile, as well as being exported through ports in the Pacific and Europe.
The city was highly populated until 1685, when it was pillaged by English pirates. The city suffered again in 1687 because of an earthquake. Vines are abundant, despite the sandy and infertile terrain; they grow in many places because of the moisture from inside the earth and provide Lima with its wines and grape concentrates that run along the various mountain provinces extending toPanama andGuayaquil.[5]
Pisco was attacked by the pirates Clerck and David; in addition, in 1687 it was destroyed by anearthquake, which caused atsunami to follow, destroying the city further.Viceroy Melchor Antonio Portocarrero Lazo de la Vega then moved it to its current location, reestablishing it in 1689 as "Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Concordia de Pisco".
In 1820, theLiberating Expedition[6][7] arrived inPisco under the command ofJosé de San Martín[8] andBernardo O'Higgins Riquelme,disembarking in theBay of Paracas, where the firstflag and the firstnational emblem of Peru were created. In 1832, thePeruvian Congress ordered bylaw that the city ofLima would receive the title of "Villa y Puerto de la Independencia", extending this qualification to both the town and the riverbank population. In 1868 the "town of Pisco" was designated capital of the newprovince of Chincha, and in 1898 it was elevated to the rank of "city". In 1947, the historian pisqueño Mamerto Castillo Negrón said that Pisco had received two additions in its history that granted ithonors worthy of merit, the first being "Villa and Puerto de la Independencia" and second, its recognition as a provincial capital.
The city was very near the center of the devastating8.0-magnitude earthquake which struck south central Peru on Wednesday 15 August 2007. Media officials reported that 80% of the city was destroyed, including the central San Clemente Cathedral of Pisco, located in Plaza de Armas in whichmass was taking place at the time of the earthquake.[9] The resulting dead account for a reported 30 percent of the total fatalities caused by the earthquake.[10] Several hundred more were killed throughout the city[11] Several years on, the city is still recovering from the damage done during the earthquake.[12]
The city of Pisco experiences hot arid climate, with warm temperatures and extremely low rainfall prevailing all year-round. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Pisco has adesert climate, abbreviatedBWh on climate maps.[13] The average maximum temperature in the city is 23.7 °C (74.7 °F), ranging from a February peak of 27.7 °C (81.9 °F) to a July low of 20.2 °C (68.4 °F). The average minimum temperature in the city is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F), fluctuating from 19.5 °C (67.1 °F) to 12.9 °C (55.2 °F) in the months of February and August respectively. Rainfall is extremely low; the average annual rainfall total amounts to a mere 1.5 mm (0.1 in).
| Climate data for Pisco (1991–2020, extremes 1942–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.9 (93.0) | 33.2 (91.8) | 33.5 (92.3) | 32.0 (89.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 31.0 (87.8) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.2 (84.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.3 (82.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 33.9 (93.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 26.8 (80.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 22.1 (71.8) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.7 (71.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 24.6 (76.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.2 (75.6) | 22.2 (72.0) | 19.7 (67.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 17.6 (63.7) | 18.4 (65.1) | 19.5 (67.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 20.3 (68.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.6 (67.3) | 17.6 (63.7) | 15.4 (59.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 13.7 (56.7) | 13.3 (55.9) | 13.7 (56.7) | 14.4 (57.9) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.4 (63.3) | 16.1 (61.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) | 14.3 (57.7) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.0 (50.0) | 7.0 (44.6) | 7.8 (46.0) | 7.0 (44.6) | 7.2 (45.0) | 8.0 (46.4) | 7.0 (44.6) | 9.5 (49.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 7.0 (44.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.5 (0.06) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 83 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 82 |
| Source 1: Meteo Climat[14][15] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (rainfall 1961-1990),[16]Deutscher Wetterdienst (precipitation days 1970–1990 and humidity 1954–1969)[17] | |||||||||||||
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2026) |
Pisco is served by theCapitán FAP Renán Elías Olivera Airport (IATA: PIO, ICAO: SPSO), located in Pisco (PIO).[18] This international airport shares facilities with thePeruvian Air Force and is also designated as a back-up airport to theJorge Chávez International Airport (IATA: LIM, ICAO: SPIM) in Lima.
On September 4, 2012, PresidentOllanta Humala was present for the beginning of renovations to the airport,[19] which were expected to be operational by 2015 with the ability to receive an anticipated 400,000 passengers a year in 2017.
Pisco is aQuechua word meaning "bird".[3] The area is often visited because of the concentration of marine animals and birds at theParacas National Reserve, or thePeruvian Galápagos.[20] At the reserve there are theIslas Ballestas, a collection of islands which are off limits to people, but boat tours can get close to. TheChincha Islands are also near its coast. Many bird species can be seen in the islands includingpelicans,penguins,cormorants,Peruvian boobies, andInca terns, as well as sea lions, turtles, dolphins, and whales.
Another attraction in the area isEl Candelabro, a giant lamp dug in the rough sand in the method used by the creators of theNazca Lines.
One of the major ancient civilizations inPeru, theParacas culture, flourished in the area where Pisco sits. Due to its ease of access and its crossroads to theAndes, the Spaniards may have considered making Pisco the capital, before they decided onLima.
In the city is thePlaza de Armas, where people buytejas, small sweets made from pecans and assorteddried fruits. Many different building that surround the Plaza are the statue ofJosé de San Martín, the mansion he lived in, and the Municipal Palace. Other building in the city is the heavily baroque Iglesia de la Compañía, begun in 1689, features a superb carved pulpit and gold-leaf altarpiece.
Near the town, just off the road toAyacucho, lies the large, well-preservedInca site ofTambo Colorado.
Pisco istwinned with:
.svg) Peruvian cities with a population of over 100,000 | |
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