Tumbes has its origins back in pre-Inca times when it was inhabited by a cultural group of natives called Tumpis.

[citation needed] Pizarro made a second expedition in 1532 during which he encountered resistance from the curaca (chieftain) Chilimaza in what became known as the Battle of the Manglares.

Felipillo and Yacané, the first South American Indigenous interpreters who later aided Pizarro and his followers during the conquest of Peru, were born in Tumbes.

When Tumbes declared its independence from Spain, it opted to join Peru believing in the right of free determination of peoples.

[citation needed] Tumbes has a hot arid climate (Köppen BWh), although it receives an average annual rainfall of 307.5 millimetres or 12.1 inches, due to its high potential evapotranspiration.