Caraz is a town in the Caraz District in the southeastern part of Huaylas Province of the Ancash Region in Peru.

Political Creation

The District of Caraz was created by the Administration of Liberation of Don Simón Bolivar, legitimized by law on December 29, 1856, and sanctioned a year later. The city of Caraz became the capital of the Province of Huaylas on July 25, 1857.

Etymology

The origin of the name Caraz is uncertain, the following are possibilities.

One possibility is that it derives from the quechua word KGARA-PUNCU, meaning "leather door", as the doors in Caraz were once covered with leather.

Don Celso V. Torres maintains that the name comes from the quechua word KALLASH meaning sterile and without vegetation.

Another possibility is that it comes from the quechua word KJARAS, referring to the magüey plants found in the area.

Location

The town is located at an elevation of about 2400 m in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range.

Sister Cities

• Mesa, Arizona, since 1989

References

Caraz Peru