Chacas

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San Martín de Chacas Chacas
Town
From top, left to right: Chacas in 2012, procession of Mama Ashu, Italian houses of Lombard style, Baroque altarpiece of 1750, colonial houses and Camchas mountain, Route AN-107 with the snowy mountain Yanarraju.
Flag Seal
Nickname:  City of the stones
Motto(s):  Naturaleza, arte y fe para el mundo (Nature, art and faith for the world)
Country	Peru
Region	Ancash
Province	Asunción
District	Chacas
Government
• Mayor	Jesus Zaragoza Guzman (2019-2022)
Area
• Total	447.69 km2 (172.85 sq mi)
Elevation	3.359 m (11.020 ft)
Website	www.munichacas.gob.pe

San Martín de Chacas is a Peruvian town,^[1] capital of the eponymous district and the Asunción Province, located in the east-central region of Ancash. It has an urban population of 2,082 located at 3,359 meters; and a district of 5,334 people.^[2] The district, located in the sub-basin of the Marañon River, has an area of 447.69 km², which represents 85% of the province.

Chacas was founded in the 1570s, but it is known that the territory now covered by the province to which it belongs, together with the provinces of Huari and Carlos Fermín Fitzcarrald, are the most remote evidence of human presence in the Eastern Sierra Ancash, represented by the findings of caves and rock shelters prior to the Chavin culture. The ethnic group that was present in this place after the fall of the Chavin culture was the lordship of Huari.

The city is characterized for having remained unchanged over the original Andean-Andalusian architecture, with narrow streets, houses adorned with double water carved balconies and gates, made by craftsmen Don Bosco, whom Fr. Ugo de Censi, Operation Mato Grosso (with Chacas as a hub) and Italian residents for thirty years, took charge of rebuilding the shrine Mama Ashu and restoration of the baroque altarpiece dating from the 17th century. There is now developing artwork for export to Europe and the United States, in addition to the unique stained glass factory in South America, having played an essiental role in the development of the city.

During the festivities in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the bullfight and the Race To Tapes are held in the main square; has Mozo Danza ritual dance, Dance Cultural Heritage of the Nation and the Provincial Museum exhibits an extensive collection of pre-Columbian pieces.