Moyobamba

Moyobamba, city, north-central Peru. The city sits on a bluff overlooking the Mayo River, at 2,820 feet (860 metres) above sea level, in the humid, tropical region known as the selva (jungle). The second oldest Spanish town east of the Andes, Moyobamba (from the Quechua mayupampa, meaning “a circular plain”) was founded on the site of an Inca settlement and was named Santiago de los Valles de Moyobamba (Saint James of the Moyobamba Valleys). An important commercial centre during the colonial era (1533–1821), it was given city status in 1857. It is the centre of a large agricultural region, producing cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, coca, and rice. Alcohol, liquor, wines, and straw hats are produced in the city. Hot springs, gold, and some petroleum are found nearby. Moyobamba is linked by road with Tarapoto to the southeast and Bagua to the northwest. Roads connect Moyobamba to the Pacific coast by way of Bagua and Olmos to the north and Cajamarca to the southwest. Pop. (2005) 38,530.