The Plaza de Armas is the elegant centre of Trujillo's colonial core, lined with pastel-coloured 17th and 18th-century mansions that are among the best-preserved in Peru. The square itself is large and well-tended, with a bronze statue of a liberation fighter at its centre. On weekends it fills with families and street food vendors.
The most impressive buildings facing the square are the Cathedral (daily Mass, free entry outside those times) and the Casa Urquiaga, a colonial mansion now belonging to the Banco Central de Reserva and open to the public. Casa Urquiaga was where Simón Bolívar stayed in 1820 during his South American campaign — the original desk and other period furnishings remain.
The streets running off the square, particularly Jiron Independencia and Jiron Pizarro, are also lined with well-maintained colonial architecture. A walk in either direction takes you past ornate wooden balconies and carved stone doorways.