Roaming South America

La Merced, Perú

February 13, 2023

La Merced, Perú: population: about 25,000 (in the 2017 census). The Chanchamayo district (I believe a 'district' is similar to a county within a state) has a population of about 30,000 projected for 2020. The town was founded in 1635 by missionaries with the name "San Buenaventura de Quimiri". But, it was in 1869 that the town was officially founded and the name was changed to La Merced.

The valley where La Merced is located has been inhabited by various indigenous groups for centuries. Later, missionaries arrived and attempts at colonizing them started and continued until the middle of the 17th century. The missionaries found their work to be very challenging because the native people didn't want to be colonized. Several missionaries and colonists were killed which only resulted in even worse treatment from the colonizers. In 1742, the leader of the indigenous people, Atahualpa, got many tribes to work together and revolt against the colonizers. This caused them to give up on their attempts at colonizing for at least a century.

In 1847, a new road was built into the area which brought with it more attempts at colonizing the native people. A fort was built in the valley and many people of different nationalities came in to settle the land. In 1869, the town of La Merced was officially founded.

The economy of La Merced is supported first by tourism, and that is mostly people from Perú. The valley is incredibly beautiful. The rivers, waterfalls, mountains, there are eco-parks, a butterfly park, an extreme sports park, and much more outside of the area of the city. There are many tour businesses that will take you to anything you want to see. The next biggest part of the town's income comes from coffee. This part of Perú is its main coffee-growing region. There are also many fruits grown in the area.

La Merced (I am suspicious of the climate data, it doesn't appear to be correct based on my visit to the town) has a mild, warm, temperate climate. The average daytime high of 23° C (73° F), and the night average low of 15° C (59° F). The city sits at about 751 meters (2464 feet).

So, my impressions: First, this town is now at the top of my top 10 list, I like it that much. There is a large supermarket similar to the Costco stores in North America or the Price Smart stores in Colombia. There are a couple of other supermarkets as well. There are at least four banks and at least 6 different brands of ATMs. There are some very nice hotels, which means expensive, and many, many economical hotels and hostels (don't rely on Google maps, it's terrible with this kind of information). In the central business district, there is at least one coffee shop on every block and restaurants and ice cream shops everywhere. There are countless tour operators, as well. The valley is beautiful, the river runs fast, and the climate is perfect. Oh, and the streets are clean, too. The city is now in the construction phase of a new malecon (riverside boardwalk) and a park for children and a new tourist area, all alongside the river.

This is my goal: to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people. And, now that I have visited more than 30 towns/cities, I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

My goal is to visit the towns and discover which one calls out to me - "Chip, Chip, make your new home here, this is your new home town". That hasn't happened yet, but there are four towns listed below that are very close to giving me that feeling. At any rate, I am not visiting tourist attractions or archeological sites, etc, those will have to wait for another trip through South America.

At this point in my journey I have four towns on my Top 10 list - Tingo Maria, Moyobamba, and La Merced, Perú, and Catamayo and Puyo, Ecuador. In my travels in Ecuador, I visited 31 towns/cities.

Next up: Satipo, Perú.