Chira

The Chira flows westward through the dry lands of northern Peru, its valley supporting settlements on the way to the Pacific. In 1532 Francisco Pizarro founded San Miguel at the indigenous settlement of Tangarará on the riverbank. The new Spanish town served as a base for his expedition inland: in September of that year Pizarro left San Miguel with his force to seek Atahualpa, the Inca ruler. The settlement was later moved from its first site.