Jauja

Jauja (Shawsha Wanka Quechua: Shawsha or Shausha, formerly in Spanish Xauxa, with pronunciation of "x" as "sh") is a city and capital of Jauja Province in Peru. It is situated in the fertile Mantaro Valley, 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the northwest of Huancayo (the capital of Junín Region), at an altitude of 3,400 metres (11,200 ft). Its population according to the 2007 census was 16,424.

Jauja, which flourished for a short time, was once the capital of Spanish Peru, prior to the founding of Lima as the new capital. Its name is referenced in the popular Spanish expression país de Jauja, which literally means "country of Jauja", but is used figuratively to mean a “never never land" or a "land of milk and honey”. The town, with a laid back ambiance and salubrious climate, has narrow streets with houses painted blue. Laguna de Paca lake is close to the city.

History

An important Xauxa town was located in the vicinity before the Incas. During the Inca civilization, the town of "Hatun Xauxa" was established. Today the ruins of this settlement can be seen on a hill, approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southeast of the town. Oral tradition mentions that the Inca ordered the mutilation of men's and women's hands in Jauja and that this occurred in the Pampa de Maquinhuayo, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of present day Jauja.

Jauja (film)

Jauja is a 2014 internationally co-produced historical drama film directed by Lisandro Alonso. It competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Prize.

Plot

In the 1880s, Danish Captain Gunnar Dinesen (Viggo Mortensen) is in Argentina with his teenage daughter Ingeborg (Viilbjørk Malling Agger) who asks him if she can have a dog. He is propositioned by Lieutenant Pittaluga (Adrián Fondari) who asks him for permission to take Inge to a dance in exchange for one of his horses. In clumsy Spanish Dinesen refuses, stating that Inge is his daughter. When Dinesen warns Inge that Pittaluga is too fond of young girls and she should not go near him, she asks why she ever would.

Unbeknownst to her father, Inge is already involved with a young soldier named Corto. Corto tells Pattaluga and Dinesen about the rumors that Zuluaga, an officer who inexplicably disappeared into the desert, is leading a group of bandits and wearing a woman's dress. The men tell Corto to go into the desert and bring them something tangible as proof that Zuluaga is still alive.