Originally the Roman town of Turgalium, Trujillo was held by the Moors for many centuries before being recovered by Christian forces in the 13th century. The town now calls itself the "Cradle of the Conquistadors", having been the birthplace of many men who went out to seek their fortune in the New
World and conquered vast territories for Spain. Chief among them was Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, who was born in Trujillo in 1475. Other notable figures were Francisco de Orellana, the first man to sail up the Amazon; Diego García Paredes, the "Samson of Extremadura", a man strong as an ox, who founded Trujillo in Venezuela; and Ñuflo de Chaves, who founded the Bolivian town of Santa Cruz. They and their descendants brought some of their wealth back to Trujillo and built great palaces which still give the town its distinctive stamp.
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