Ayacucho

Cathedral Basilica

It was built in the seventeenth century and is located in the Plaza Mayor of Ayacucho. The cathedral currently has ten altarpieces bathed in gold leaf and is dedicated to the Virgen de las Nieves. It combines Renaissance and Baroque elements.

The sobriety of its façade contrasts with the richness of its interior. There are the famous altarpieces of Our Lady of Socos, the Lord of Burgos and the Crying Child, stories that appear in the Peruvian Traditions of Ricardo Palma.

Main Square of the City of Ayacucho

The buildings surrounding the square date from the 16th and 17th centuries. They are characterised by stone arches on the first level, pillars with balusters on the second level and roofs of red clay tiles.

In the perimeter there are whitewashed houses or with exposed white stone, as well as the headquarters of the Municipality of Ayacucho, the Government of Ayacucho, the Superior Court of Justice and the National University of Huamanga.

Casa Boza y Solís

XVII century colonial mansion in mestizo style. Inside is the cell in which the independence hero, María Parado de Bellido, was confined for three days before being shot. Located at Constitución 15, Plaza Mayor.

Temple of Santo Domingo

Built at the end of the 16th century. In the only nave of the temple, the main altar stands out, covered with gold leaf and decorated with showy images and characteristic canvases of the Churrigueresque baroque.

During the Holy Week celebrations, the images of the Lord of the Holy Sepulchre and the Sorrowful Virgin leave the church in procession. In the corner of the atrium a stone cross has been erected, placed in memory of the storm of 9 October 1640.

Temple of the Society of Jesus

This seventeenth-century temple is characterized by its baroque style and its two symmetrical brick towers, decorated with friezes of sculpted flowers. Inside there are several colonial canvases.

Temple and Monastery of Santa Clara de Asís

It was built in the sixteenth century and remodeled in the seventeenth.

Temple of Santa Teresa and Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites

Republican-style construction began in 1683. The main altar with the image of the Virgin of Carmen and the choir, entirely carved in wood and decorated with incrustations of shell and pearl and mother-of-pearl, stand out. The monastery preserves its function from the viceroyalty period as the home of the cloistered nuns of the Carmelite order.

Temple of La Merced

Built in the 16th century, it is characterised by its Renaissance elements. The main altar is carved in wood and covered with gold leaf. The image of the Virgen de las Mercedes stands out.

Arch of Triumph or San Francisco

It was constructed in 1910 in commemoration of the victory in the Combat of May 2, 1886 against the Spanish forces that were trying to reconquer their former colonies. Later, it was remodeled on the occasion of the centenary of the Battle of Ayacucho.

Casa Castilla y Zamora

Headquarters of the National University of San Cristóbal de Huamanga. Before it was the seat of the Archbishop’s Palace and the bishop Cristóbal de Castilla y Zamora ceded it to serve as a university cloister.

Casa Vivanco

It was built in the 17th century. The Museum of Colonial Religious Art and the Mariscal Cáceres Museum are currently in operation there. It’s one of the oldest houses in the city and belonged to the Marquises of Mozobamba. In 2003, during the restoration work, Inca walls were discovered inside. The UNSCH Cultural Center is currently in operation.

Pumapaqcha, Batán and Qorimaqma Falls

Mythical waterfalls where rituals are made to the Andean gods and spirits. The popular tradition tells that they have a high concentration of positive and magnetic energy.

They are located parallel to the road that goes to Cangallo. In the crossing three beautiful waterfalls can be contemplated in the rivers of Chankil and Macromayo.

Due to their magical beauty, they are propitious places to perform rituals to the Andean gods and spirits. It is said that they have a high concentration of positive and magnetic energy.

Puyas de Raimondi Forest (Titankayocc)

Titankayocc is the largest Puyas de Raimondi forest in existence. It is estimated that it shelters about 250 thousand, mainly in the moor or puna. It has an area of 1200 ha.

This bromeliad known as Titanka has great ecological value, as it has the largest inflorescence of the plant kingdom, and its size ranges between 4 and 6 meters.

The Puya Raimondi is a majestic plant that grows at heights above 3,000 meters above sea level and can reach 10 meters in height.

Wari Archaeological Complex

It is one of the largest urban centers of ancient Peru. Its buildings challenge time and are a sample of the technological advance of the Wari culture, which flourished between the 6th and 11th centuries AD.

It occupies an area of approximately 2,200 hectares. The complex is divided into sectors made up of stone and mud constructions, covered with a fine plaster and has an underground water and drainage system.

Most of the buildings are buried. The place has a site museum with objects found in the area.

Vilcashuaman

Inca administrative centre known for two of its buildings: the Temple of the Sun and the Moon, and the Ushno. The first is a polished and carved stone construction, with three staggered terraces. On its bases was built the temple of San Juan Bautista, during the colony.

The Ushno is a truncated staggered pyramid of five superimposed platforms. The stones that compose the construction were carved and assembled with great precision. In the upper part, the Inca’s Armchair stands out, a block of monolithic stone with two seats from where, according to popular tradition, the Inca and the Colla witnessed the military and religious ceremonies that took place in the great square of Vilcashuamán.

Intihuatana – Pomacocha

According to the researchers, this site would have been a rest area for the Inca elite. The Inca’s Bath was built with polished stones, one of which is characterized by 13 angles. It is located near the Pomacocha lagoon (3 126 m.a.s.l.).

MILLPU, Turquoise waters

During your trip you will be able to visit Condorcancha, a place where a great variety of cheeses are prepared and you will be able to delight yourself with different types of native potatoes. Another stop will be in the region of Pumapaqcha Waterfall and then go to the pool of carbonated water of Huahuapuquio and finally you will arrive at Millpu, so that the charm is complete and you connect with nature.

Ojo, don’t forget that the best time of the year to visit this town is from April to November, since there is a better climate. And it is that to enjoy its beautiful landscapes and its poetic crystalline waters (known as the Turquoise Waters) which are formed in natural pools, has to be in a good date. Without a doubt, the best of all is that you can go in and bathe there and then spend some refreshing and magical days.

Cave of Pikimachay, city of Huanta and Luricocha

Pikimachay is a cave that is approximately 24 m wide and 12 m high and is located in the center of Allqowilka hill. Lithic instruments from the Andean Palaeolithic have been found, as well as bone remains of animals that are now extinct, dating from 20,000 to 15,000 years ago. C. Visiting this cave takes us back to the past to discover what the habitat of the first settlers of this area was like.

Huanta is known as the Emerald of the Andes because of its privileged location and the richness of its flora and fauna. Its temperate climate allows a very varied agrarian production. Among the fruits that stand out are the lucumas, pacaes, tunas and variety of avocados. It is also known for its various fruit liqueurs and honey.

Luricocha is the ecological and fruit district of the region for its climatic variety, its biodiversity and the conservation of its natural resources.