Pozuzo

POZUZO IN REPUBLICAN PERU:

In our republican life, many acts to promote the european immigration to Peru were issued. This immigration process became stronger under General Ramon Castilla government when he revoked THE SLAVERY ACT on 1854 and interdicted the entry of asia inhabitants in order to promote the european emigration.
The first german settlers arrived to Peru on 1853 to dwell Tingo María, Tarapoto, Moyobamba and Amazonas, but this attempt to settle the forest failed then due to the lack of organization. 
The promoter of austrian german farmers and artisans arrival to Pozuzo was the distinguished german nobleman, Baron Cosme Damián Freiherr Schutz von Holzhausen. For this good purpose, the Baron interviewed Mr. Manuel Tirado, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, representative of the President, General Rufino Echenique in order to study the possibility to colonize the forest aiming to link the Pacific Coast and the Atlantic Coast. The Baron was charged to find the proper area of this colonization.
The first contract signed by the Baron failed due to the liberal revolution of 1854 that overthrown President Echenique as a consequence of the political and military crisis in Peru. The Baron signed another contract with the new President, General Ramón Castilla, on December 1855,
According to this new contract, the Baron was engaged to introduce 10,000 german settlers to Peru in 6 years. On its part, the Government of Peru offered: to pay the transport from Europa to Pozuzo, to build a new road from Cerro de Pasco to Pozuzo, each settler older than 15 years would receive a 15 pesos bonus, 140 square leagues of free land would be distributed among the settlers who would become its legitimate tax free owners later, the government would pay their support of the first 6 months and also had the obligation to provide basic services such as sanity, building of schools, churches and others. 
On its hand, the Government required that every settler must be catholic, workers with good behavior. To make this project come true, the Baron was appointed responsible of this colonization and received 2,400 pesos as year salary.

PREPARATION OF THE TRIP:

On 1856 Barón Cosme Damián published his project to colonize Pozuzo in a german newspaper. Father Agustin Scherer, a Benedictine Priest became aware of the project that would help his poor peasant and artisans fellows. For this reason, he recommended Father José Egg, Chaplain of Wald (Tirol). The support of both priests became official after a conversation with the Baron and both of them were authorized to find the suitable people in the Tirol.
The new that they would be accompanied by Father José Egg gave more trust, hope and faith to the tyrolese peasants. Everyone who wanted to join the group should have a recommendation of good behavior issued by their town’s Parish Priest. For instance, Mrs. Ana Maria Egg from Silz town was also encouraged to get her recommendation, when she knew that her sons wanted to travel to “THE SO CALLED POZUZO”

THE TRIP FROM EUROPE TO PERÚ:

The departure day was March 16, 1857. Therefore, the Square of Silz Church was the scenario of a great event never seen before. It was the departure time, the time to say goodbye. The sorrow, the joy and the nostalgia reigned among them. However, they had much faith and hope trying to find a new future in a new land.
The 200 tyrolean left their beloved Alps accompanied by two priests: Fathers José Egg and Jose Uberlinger. The first part of the trip was by rail, arriving to important cities like Ausburg, Stuttgart and Mannhein, From here, the trip continued by river until Cologne where the group of 100 prusians joined and all arrived to Amberes on March 25.
On March 29, 1857, the 200 tyrolean and 100 prusians sailed from Amberes to Peru in “EL NORTON” an old english guano vessel. After the departure, Father José Egg celebrated the marriage sacrament ceremony of 23 young couples, thus they complied their dearest desire to have a family and children.
After several months of trips along the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, the settlers arrived to El Callao Port on July 25, 1857, where the Baron was very concerned waiting for them. Unfortunately, the trip costed 07 deaths (05 children and 02 adults). After a few days of quarantine, they went aboard “El Inca” vessel on July 30 and arrived to Huacho two days later.
The settlers began their long, sacrificed and hard trip by land from Huacho. They traveled through coast areas first to cross peaks and snow-covered mountains of the Andean Cordillera. The trip lasted several days and they got the “mountain sickness” (soroche) due to the hard cold, when they arrived to Cerro de Pasco. After having beaten many difficulties, the settlers decided to continue their trip to Acobamba, the end of the road and they had to build their own road from there.
After hard work and sacrifice, the settlers achieved to advance from Acobamba to Santa Cruz and Pampa Hermosa. The forest edge begins at Santa Cruz and no road signs appeared. They had to settle there, building rustic houses, making plantations, breeding some poultry and other supplies. Regrettably, a landslide of mud and stones destroyed most of the houses on February 28, 1858. Gaspar Egg cried: Everybody to the chapel!!, Everybody to the chapel!!. This natural disaster killed 06 persons (03 adults and 03 children). Thus, there is a german cemetery at Santa Cruz. All these events made that a group of 50 persons left the group, the chronicler Clemente Yager and Father Luis Uberlinger, among them.
Finally, 170 persons (including those who were born along the trip) arrived to Pozuzo on July 25, 1859, the day of Saint James, master of the pilgrims and the colonization, because many settlers who arrived to Pozuzo in the first trip also left. They understood that it was not only to arrive there, but also to have a road to avoid being left or isolated.

FIRST DECADES OF THE SETTLERS SURVIVAL (1859-1905)

The day after the arrival, Father José Egg said a Mass. Before everybody, he proposed later that tyrolese and prusian people shall be united. Therefore, they should elect their own majors. The Parish Priest proposed under the request of the settlers. Thus, Mr. José Gstir was elected by tyrolese and Mr. Cristobal Johann by the prusians. Every settler agreed.
The first task of the Majors and Father José Egg was to establish the borders and distribute the land. It was agreed that prusians would occupy the southern and left part of Huancabamba river, today known as PRUSIA and tyrolese would lodge the northern part until the joining of Pozuzo and Huancabamba Rivers. The border was the dark stones gulch currently known as RIO LIMITE (LIMIT RIVER). The building of San José Church and the Parish House in Pozuzo-La Colonia center, called TIROL, was also agreed.
Another complex matter to solve was the land distribution. Father José Egg proposed the following distribution to the Majors: 100 wide steps per family and 60 steps per single settler along Huancabamba River, in order to give the same land proportion to each settler.
Austrian-german settlers began a new life in their new dwell with extreme poverty signs, isolated and left to their own devices, even though the Peruvian Government declared the opposite.

ARRIVAL OF THE SECOND GROUP OF GERMAN IMMIGRANTS (1868)

This second group should comprise 500 settlers, but only 321 persons embarked the italian ship Valparaiso at Amberes. They arrived to El Callao Port on July 22, 1868 in the afternoon after 97 days of sea travel. They went then to Huacho to follow the same way of their predecessors (1857). It is noteworthy to say that only 315 immigrants arrived to Pozuzo because 14 died and 8 were born along the road. The second group should have go to Mayro zone, but they stayed in Pozuzo since the road was in bad conditions.

POZUZO TOWARDS ITS FIRST CENTURY : (1859-1959)

Another event that left its mark and made history in Pozuzo at the end of the XIX Century, and the first decades of the last century  was the foundation of Oxapampa by Mr. Enrique Bottger Treu and a group of Pozuzo settlers from Germany who arrived to Pozuzo in the second group of immigration (1868), on August 31, 1891. In this time, 5 Pozuzo families intended to colonize the Chuchuras zone and continuing with the migration, 13 families left Pozuzo to found Villa Rica (1928). Before the need to keep on increasing their borders with more culture lands, young generations of Pozuzo inhabitants began to build a new district called Santa Rosa (1940) and the colonization of Pozuzo turn began on 1967. It is now a district of the province of Puerto Inca at the Department of Huanuco.
On the occasion of its first century, the Governments of Austria, Germany and Peru itself began to show more interest to contribute to the welfare and development of Pozuzo, since settlers remained isolated and abandoned for more than a century. In that opportunity, these Governments helped to build the new church “Sagrado Corazón de Jesús”, the Health Center,  the Mini Hydroelectrical Central and other buildings. However, the main problem were still the roads since the so hoped highway via Oxapampa arrived on 1975 yet.

POZUZO GEOGRAPHY AND WEATHER

The district of Pozuzo is located in the province of Oxapampa, department of Pasco. It is geographically located in the average coordinate of 9° 52'30", southern latitude 10º18'30', 77° 03'33" and west length  77º52'30' of  Greenwich Meridian. Pozuzo area comprises 130,00 Hectares, that is to say, 1,300.00 Km2, distributed along the western slope of the mountain range of the Central Forest Region.
The average height is 800 m.u.s.l. (in the capital of the district known as Center or La Colonia). However, it ranges from 600 to 1,850 m.u.s.l., that is to say, from the low forest transition (foot of the western andean mountain) crossing the high forest, until the forest edge. Its location gives it a mainly mountainous physiography, with valleys that generate very colorful pictures due to the contrasts between the natural vegetation of the forest and the artificial pastures (grazing lands).
Weather
Due to Its location in the high forest and to occupy a valley mostly, the district has very singular weather characteristics. The year has two very different periods or seasons: the so-called “summer” or dry season from May to October, stronger from June to September, and the so-called “winter” or rain season from November to April, stronger from January to March. The average year rainfall is 2379,15 mm, being the coldest months July and August (17° C), and September and October the hottest (28.9° C). The average year temperature is 22.63° C. In general terms, the weather is fresh and nice, the light afternoon winds from the north east area travel through the valley and warm up the environment. This privileged weather and the lack of unpleasant insects guarantee a pleasant stay.

Before 1712, Pozuzo was inhabited by some amueshas or yaneshas families. That year, Father Francisco de San José, a Franciscan missionary, coming from Huanuco, founds two towns in Pozuzo: Asunción de Pozuzo and Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Tillingo. Among the different expeditions to search the shortest road between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, it was determined that crossing Pozuzo was the nearest way to reach the navigable rivers of our Amazon region. The Sacramento Pampas were discovered leaving Pozuzo on year 1726.
In general terms, the history of Pozuzo is more known from 1859 with the arrival of the first Austrian – German settlers.
CURRENT POPULATION :
The population currently exceeds 5,826 inhabitants, between settlers descendents and mestizos. The most important activity is the beef cattle, followed by a varied production of tropical agricultural species, mainly for self-consumption. In recent years, the tourist activity became more important and intends to stimulate the economic development of the area.

USEFUL INFORMATION:

PRUSIA TOURS offers adventure trips of 4 days and more days to natural landscape. You will be near of the nature enjoying inequable landscapes, a warm climate, delicious food. Thanks our experience you will have a pleasant and safe trip in all our tourist programs: individual and group programs, school programs and programs for enterprises.

WHEN CAN YOU TRAVEL?
Pozuzo has two very different periods or seasons: the so-called “summer” or dry season from May to October, stronger from June to September, and the so-called “winter” or rain season from November to April, stronger from January to March.

LAND AND AIR ACCESS
From Lima to Pozuzo, you go through attractive and important cities: TICLIO, the highest railway point of the world. It is located at 4816 m.a.s.l. Then, you go by LA OROYA, TARMA, SAN RAMON, LA MERCED, and OXAPAMPA until you arrive to Pozuzo. 
There is a special flight services.
FESTIVITIES
The most important festivity is “THE ARRIVE OF SETTLERS” on July 25th , 1857. From July 25th  to 30th , there are several activities. Pozuzo stock farmer and eco-tourism festivity are around mid October.
ADDITIONAL NOTES

San Ramón, La Merced. The stretch to Oxapampa is not in good conditions. In rainy times, there´s a danger that the river will overflow.
For to go to Pozuzo, you will pass near Huancabamba river. Around the way you can observe ferns, orchids and  beautiful falls. These waters invites you to take a shower.

On the road, you can observe the National Park called Yanachaga Chemillén, it has an area of 122,000 ha. This park takes in the districts of Pozuzo, Villa Rica and Palcazú ( in the Province of Oxapampa). It´s one of the parks with best examples of flora and fauna of the world.

The most important economic activities in Pozuzo is the livestock farming ( meat, milk), coffee, rice plantations and fruits.

Around the town, you can find beautiful estates and wood houses.
All these things give a particular characteristic that others places in  Peru  doesn´t have.


 Pozuzo is waiting for you, ... Pozuzo ist nur eins!