# Monsefú

Monsefú, founded as San Pedro de Monsefú, is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the Monsefú district in the Chiclayo Province that is part of the Lambayeque Region. It is renowned for its food and handicrafts, which are on display at the annual FEXTICUM festival, named in 1973 by Professor Limberg Chero Ballena and held in July during the Fiestas Patrias. Monsefú is also the home of cumbia groups Grupo 5 and Hermanos Yaipen. Monsefú was elevated to the category of "city" on October 26, 1888.

## Etymology

Spanish priest Fernando de la Carrera, in his work Arte de la lengua yunga (1644), argues that the word "monsefu" comes from Omænssefæc, meaning "God punishes the one who offends the earth".

## History

Before the arrival of the Spanish, Monsefú would have been part of the chieftainship of Cinto, with the name of Chuspo, whose main center have been located in the vicinity of San Bartolo hill. In 1578, heavy rains and floods blighted the crops and in 1612, the area was ravaged by a disease. The population was reduced by the disease and survivors after a few years were located in what is now Monsefú.
In the early 1880s, the Chilean Army, under the command of Patricio Lynch, occupied the area and its surroundings during the War of the Pacific, where infrastructure was built by the Chilean authorities for both the locals and the troops' use, with the latter residing in a barracks. After the war, the town was elevated to city level on October 26, 1888 at the request of deputy Manuel María Izaga, under the presidency of Andrés Avelino Cáceres.

## Government
### List of mayors

The following is a list of mayors of Monsefú since the establishment of a municipal government:
| Mayor | Party | Term begin | Term end |
| José Ramos Llontop y Laines | | | 1870 |
| José Tomás Escajadillo | | | 1872 |
| Eusebio Ferré Rodríguez | | 1888 | 1889 |
| Dr. José Andrés Llontop C | | 1890 | 1892 |
| José Llontop Farro | | 1892 | 1893 |
| Juan Diez Llontop | | 1893 | 1894 |
| Eusebio Ferré Rodríguez | | 1894 | 1897 |
| José Leonardo Rojas | | | 1898 |
| Eusebio Ferré Rodríguez | | | 1899 |
| José Leonardo Rojas | | | 1901 |
| Manuel Barco | | | 1903 |
| Joaquín Llontop Rodríguez | | 1903 | 1906 |
| Eusebio Bravo | | 1907 | 1908 |
| Eulogio Burga Llontop | | 1909 | 1912 |
| José Dolores Escajadillo | | 1913 | 1914 |
| José Ramos Llontop Pisfil | | 1915 | 1916 |
| Dr. Manuel Ríos | | 1917 | 1918 |
| Pedro Manuel Alvarado | | 1919 | 1922 |
| Abraham Rivera Carranzas | | 1922 | 1924 |
| Pascual Mussilo Cilumbriello | | 1924 | 1927 |
| Héctor Bravo Llontop | | 1927 | 1929 |
| Héctor Boggio Aramburú | | 1929 | 1931 |
| Dr. Manuel Senmache Sánchez | | 1931 | 1933 |
| Francisco Esacajadillo S. | | 1933 | 1934 |
| Carlos Diez Uceda | | 1934 | 1936 |
| José Clodomiro Soto Ortíz | | 1936 | 1938 |
| Mariano Pisfil | | 1938 | 1943 |
| Dr. Miguel Custodio Pisfil | | 1943 | 1946 |
| Cecilio Custodio Oliva | | | 1947 |
| Alfredo Delgado Llontop | | 1947 | 1948 |
| José R. Vallejos U. | | 1948 | 1948 |
| Elíseo Flores Castro | | 1948 | 1949 |
| Francisco Escajadillo S. | | 1949 | 1949 |
| Fernando Bullón S. | | 1950 | 1951 |
| Alejandro Llontop M. | | 1951 | 1951 |
| Tomás Garnique Llontop | | 1952 | 1954 |
| José Leónidas Llontop | | 1954 | 1954 |
| José Vallejo U. | | | 1955 |
| Dr. Ismael Bravo Arenas | | | 1956 |
| Bartolomé Burga González | | | 1957 |
| José Dolores Soto | | 1958 | 1960 |
| Dr. Manuel Senmache Sánchez | | 1961 | 1962 |
| Juan Manuel Yaipén Mechán | | | 1963 |
| Rev. Fr. Carlos O'Conroy | | 1963 | 1964 |
| Juan Renato Custodio | | 1964 | 1966 |
| Ángel Bartra Gonzales [es] | AP-DC Alliance | 1967 | 1972 |
| Oscar Salazar Chafloque | | 1973 | 1974 |
| Limber Chero Ballena | | 1975 | 1977 |
| Ángel Fenco Lluen | Acción Popular | 1981 | 1983 |
| Víctor Custodio López | APRA | 1984 | 1986 |
| Víctor Custodio López | APRA | 1987 | 1989 |
| Miguel Ángel Bartra [es] | FREDEMO | 1990 | 1993 |
| Miguel Ángel Bartra [es] | Acción Popular | 1993 | 1995 |
| Teodoro Custodio Diez | Lista Independiente № 9 Unidos | 1996 | 1998 |
| Boris Bartra Grosso | Adelante Chiclayo | 1999 | 2002 |
| Rita Ayasta de Díaz | Partido Reconstrucción Democrática | 2003 | 2006 |
| Lázaro Puicón Albino | Amistad Solidaria Independiente | 2007 | 2010 |
| Rita Ayasta Giles [es] | Movimiento Independiente Todos por Lambayeque | 2011 | 2014 |
| Miguel Ángel Bartra [es] | APP | 2015 | 2018 |
| Manuel Pisfil Míñope | APRA | 2019 | 2022 |
| Erwin Huertas Uceda | Acción Popular | 2023 | Incumbent |

## Climate

It has a varied semitropical temperature, since part of its territory is on the shore of the sea, and another is located in the valley of the Reque River.
Climate data for Monsefú :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31 (88) | 29.3 (84.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.5 (77.9) | 28.3 (82.9) | 26.8 (80.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.7 (78.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 22.5 (72.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.1 (66.4) | 19 (66) | 19.9 (67.8) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.0 (71.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.4 (68.7) | 20.4 (68.7) | 19 (66) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.2 (61.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 14.7 (58.5) | 15.2 (59.4) | 15.2 (59.4) | 15.8 (60.4) | 17.3 (63.1) | 17.2 (63.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2.0 (0.08) | 2.0 (0.08) | 7.0 (0.28) | 2.0 (0.08) | 1.0 (0.04) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.0 (0.04) | 1.0 (0.04) | 1.0 (0.04) | 1.4 (0.06) |
| Source: climate-data.org ||||||||||||||