Locating the Original Moyobamba Route

Down the Andes

This page isn't actually about the Moyobamba Route. Instead, it follows my path from Jaén to Huamachuco with additional links to locations from the stories of Harry Franck, Eleodoro Benel, and Marcel Monnier.

Northern Cajamarca

Jaén, San Juan de Chiple, Cutervo, Cochabamba, Lajas, Chota, Santa Cruz, Bambamarca, and Hualgayoc are all towns on the maps. Llaucán is also marked at (-6.746686, -78.528566). All of these places can be driven through on Google Street View, as can the village that was Miguel Iglesias's hacienda at Montán (-6.555619, -78.791951). Cuyumalca, the caserio where the rondas were started is centered around (-6.589757, -78.621207) along the highway south of Chota and the part of it that is along the highway can be viewed.

The Hacienda Rambran, where Marcel Monnier swam across the nearby Marañón, is now a small village at (-6.53842728, -78.2140155).

Eleodoro Benel's story is full of rural locations. His Hacienda La Samaná is at (-6.674233, -78.80847), which is about the same location as on the MTC maps. There are scattered houses in the area. Benel was killed at Cerro Arenal (Arenal Hill) at the Hacienda Callayuc in Cutervo Province. The village of Callayuc is at (-6.181057, -78.910215) so the hill would be someplace nearby. Benel's northern hideout, the Hacienda Silugan, is about six kilometers due east of Callayuc at (-6.18870190, -78.8560194). It's just across the river and up the hill from the new highway so wouldn't make much of a hideout anymore. The MTC maps confirm this location. There appears to be a couple buildings there. Benel's other Cutervo area property at Sillangate (-6.209200900, -78.99382889) was just to the south of Callayuc. Hacienda Churucancha (-6.52702828, -78.726224140), where the large battle was fought after the fall of Chota, is now the site of a "dude ranch" according to Google maps. The Vazquez brothers' hometown of Lanche is a at (-6.328735910, -78.83541827). It's not a village but a caserio that encompasses a scattered rural area.

Links at deperu

deperu - Llaucan
deperu - Rambran
deperu - La Samana
deperu - Silugan
deperu - Sillangate
deperu - Churrucancha
deperu - Lanche

South of Cajamarca

San Marcos and Cajabamba are provincial capitals on the map. Ichocán is just south of San Marcos at (-7.368425, -78.129325).

Huamachuco is just south in La Libertad department. Markahuamachuco is on the mountaintop between the visitors center at (-7.787549, -78.075942) and the round granaries at (-7.774065, -78.086965). Google Maps 3D gives a good feel for the mountaintop location. The square grid foundations of Wiracochpampa are at (-7.788104, -78.045318).

The remote region that Marcel Monnier went through is to the east of Huamachuco, including Parcoy (-8.032240, -77.478091), Buildbuyo (-8.127392, -77.394971), and Tayabamba (-8.276407, -77.296728). The latter can be driven in Google Street View. Marcel Monnier and his cargueros went east from Tayabamba eventually arriving at the Huallaga just across from the modern town of Pizana (-8.007716, -76.647487). For the last part of their journey they followed the small river that flows into the Huallaga across from Pizana.