Candarave is a province of the department of Tacna, Peru. Located in the department's northernmost border, it is the smallest of its provinces. Its capital is Candarave.
Peruvian linguist Rodolfo Cerrón-Palomino speculates that the name comes from kanta-ra-wi, an Aymara word meaning "place of many lodgings".
The first inhabitants descended from the Protocollahuas, the Aymara, and the Tiwanaku peoples. Candarave is a town that originated from Aymara-descended Ayllus.
After Manco Inca's uprising in 1536, Pedro Pizarro pacified the territories of Chucuito, Moquegua, Tacna, and Tarapacá. In 1540, the encomienda system was established in favor of the conquistador Hernán RodrÃÂguez de San Juan, who was required to pay tribute with basic products such as poultry, sheep, pigs, corn, wheat, eggs, and firewood. The cacicazgos, and the Bishop of Arequipa, , from Valladolid, established their boundaries in 1776.
Later, Candarave was established as a district during the Independence period. By decree of June 25, 1855, it became part of the province of Tacna. By law of November 11, 1874, it became part of the province of Tarata. In 1875, Curibaya and Huanuara were separated to form the district of Curibaya. During its Chilean administration (1880âÂÂ1929), Candarave served as the provisional capital of the province of Tarata.
The province was created by Law No. 24887, of August 18, 1988, prior to which its territory had belonged to Tacna province.
The province is administered by a municipal government that also administers Candarave District. The Catholic Church in Peru administers the province as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tacna and Moquegua since 1944.
Since 2023, the incumbent mayor is Rafael Bernardo Vega Paniagua.
The province is divided into six districts (, singular: distrito), each of which is headed by a mayor (alcalde):
Some of the highest peaks of the province are Tutupaka and Yukamani, both are active volcanoes. Other mountains are listed below:
The province is inhabited by indigenous citizens of Aymara descent. Spanish, however, is the language which the majority of the population (78.17%) learnt to speak in childhood, 20.94% of the residents started speaking using the Aymara language (2007 Peru Census).