Tacna, possessor of a moderate climate, nice people, and with a strong economic flow, is located around 52 kilometers from the Chilean border. The department was the ancient home of the Aymaras who traded diverse coastal products like ají peppers, fish, and shellfish. When the Spaniards arrived in the sixteenth century, the wine grape production spread to this area and that is the reason why you can visit the wineries of today’s that produce excellent wines and piscos. Today, along the streets of Tacna there are still some houses that maintain the traditional slanted roofs and in its parks and avenues, monuments, busts, and other reminders of Peruvian heroes who fought in the War for Independence (1821 – 1824) and the War of the Pacific (1879 – 1883) abound. The city of Tacna received the name of “Heroic City” in 1828.
Eight kilometers away from Tacna is the Monument to the Alto de la Alianza, where the Chilean army defeated the Peruvian-Bolivian troops and at whose feet a cemetery with hundreds of white crosses spreads outward.
Another attraction is the Miculla Petroglyphs (around 500), which are carved in low relief in the rocks of the area. These are estimated to be 1,500 years old. The beaches along the coastline of Tacna are very busy during the summer; they are generally open and have rocky formations on the shore and a strong tide that offers pure contemplation.
Places to visit in Peru