Piura, city, northwestern Peru, capital of Piura Department, on the Piura River and the Pan-American Highway. It is a commercial center for the irrigated Piura Valley, where cotton, rice, sugarcane, and corn are cultivated. The National University of Piura (1962), the National Technical University of Piura (1962), and a school of music are here. The community of San Miguel de Piura, the oldest Spanish settlement in Peru, was established nearby by the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro in 1532. In 1588 the settlement was moved to its present site. Population (1998 estimate) 308,155.
