---
title: "La Esmeralda de Colán and Pueblo Nuevo"
id: "la-esmeralda-de-colan"
category: "playas"
zone: "Colán"
coordinates: { lat: -5.0833, lng: -81.1167 }
hours: "Open year-round"
address: "Malecón s/n, Colán, Paita"
url: "https://www.mipiura.com/en/playas/la-esmeralda-de-colan/"
verified: false
source: "MiPiura.com - Plataforma Turística Oficial de Piura"
---

# La Esmeralda de Colán and Pueblo Nuevo

A traditional beach resort in the Paita province combining vernacular architecture with religious heritage: rows of wooden houses on algarrobo stilts built since the late 19th century and, in Pueblo Nuevo de Colán, the San Lucas Church, erected by the Dominicans in 1535 over a Chimú-Tallán shrine and regarded as the first Spanish church on the South American Pacific coast (National Historic Monument).

## Datos Clave / Quick Facts
- **Zona:** Colán (Malecón s/n, Colán, Paita)
- **Coordenadas GPS:** -5.0833, -81.1167
- **Horario:** Open year-round
- **Actividades:** Swimming, Sea kayaking, Coastal walks, Religious tourism, Seafood cuisine

## Cómo Llegar
15 km north of the port of Paita and about 65 km west of Piura (50–55 minutes on paved road). Public transport by shared vans and rural trucks from Paita and Piura.

## Información Detallada
Colán lies on the central coast of the Paita province, 15 km north of the port of Paita and about 65 km west of Piura; the drive takes 50–55 minutes on paved roads, with shared vans and rural trucks.

The shoreline of La Esmeralda de Colán is a long, gently sloping beach lined with wooden houses on rustic algarrobo stilts, built since the late 19th century so high tides could flow freely and heat could be mitigated through open galleries and panoramic terraces. Nearby, in Pueblo Nuevo de Colán, stands the San Lucas Church, built by the Dominicans in 1535 over a Chimú-Tallán shrine: the first church erected by the Spanish on the South American Pacific coast and a National Historic Monument.

The experience invites rest in calm, warm emerald-green waters, ideal for swimming, sea kayaking and coastal walks. Inside San Lucas you can see lime-and-quinchas walls, carved baroque altars and early colonial canvases; morning visits with the parish office are recommended. Riverside restaurants serve cachema and grouper ceviches, stews and seafood from the neighbouring bays of Yacila and Cangrejos.

The weather is warm all year, with the beach season peaking between December and April.

## Cita Oficial
MiPiura. (2026). *La Esmeralda de Colán and Pueblo Nuevo*. Guía Turística de Piura. https://www.mipiura.com/en/playas/la-esmeralda-de-colan/