HUANCAVELICA

GENERAL DATA

Location: The department of Huancavelica is situated in the central highlands of the Peruvian Andes.
Area: 220133 km2
Capital: Huancavelica (3 676 masl)
Altitude: 1 900 masl (Ocoyo) Lowest town.
4 475 masl (Santa Ana) highest town.
Average annual temperature: 10º C (20º C maximum and 3.4º C minimum).
Rainy season: December to March.

ACCESS ROUTES

Several roads gain access to this city:
Lima-Huancavelica (via Pisco 499 km) approximately 11 h by car.
Lima-Huancavelica (via Huancayo 446 km) approximately 12 h by car.
Ica-Huancavelica (346 km) approximately 12 h by car.
Ayacucho-Huancavelica (via Rumichaca 244,9 km) approximately 6 h by car.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

This charming colonial town was founded in 1 571 by Mine Mayor Francisco de Angulo, prompted by the discovery of the Santa Barbara mercury mine in 1 563, which boosted the development of Peruvian silver deposits. Huancavelica was initially a settlement for miners, muleteers, traders and a large part of the native population who were forced to work in the mine.
This peasant and mining town continues to develop, using its own resources.

ATTRACTIONS IN THE CITY

Plaza de Armas – Main Square

Previously known as Villa Rica Oropesa, the main square around which the town of Huancavelica was built is surrounded by Institutions like the Prefecture, the Town Hall, the Prison and others, all of which still preserve their colonial architectural style.

Catedral Church of San Antonio

Plaza de Armas
Visits: Monday to Saturday 7:00-8:30 and 17:30-19:30, Sunday 5:30-11:30 and 17:30.
With a baroque style façade, this church was built of red stone brought from the Puka Rumi area. It contains a Huancavelica mural from the seventeenth century, a carved wooden altar covered in gold leaf, silver plate and Cusco and Huamanca school canvasses.

Daniel Hernández Regional Museum

Jr. Arica s/n - San Juan de Dios Square.
Visits: Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00 and 16:00-18:00.
This museum houses Tertiary and Quaternary fossils and petrified mollusks and other marine species. It also contains relics of the pre-Inca, colonial and independence periods, as well as paintings by famous Peruvian artists, including Daniel Hernandez, Fernando de Szyslo, Milner Cajahuaringa and others.

Santo Domingo Church

Jr. Carabaya s/n, Santo Domingo Square
Visits: Monday to Friday 7:00-8:00.
Built in the sixteenth century, 30 years after the town of Huancavelica was founded. The Virgen del Rosario and Santo Domingo are images of fine art worshiped in this temple, brought from Rome. According to legend, this temple was connected to the San Francisco church.

San Sebastián Church

Bolognesi square
Visits: Monday to Friday 16:00-17:00.
With a seventeenth century neoclassic façade and a gold leaf ceiling in the right nave, it is the only example of this type of work in Peru. Placed on a small altar is the image of the “Señor del Prendimiento” or Lord of Apprehension, worshipped by thousands during Holy Week.

Thermal Bath in the San Cristóbal District

Av. 28 de Abril s/n, San Cristóbal district
Visits: Monday to Friday 6:00-17:00.
The medicinal properties of this pool help to treat skin ailments. This area is also a recreational center, with an Olympic pool, private wells, billiard rooms and a bar.

Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge)

Situated at the foothill of Mount Potocchi at about 1 km from Huancavelica, or a five minute drive. This 3 m long and 1 m wide arched bridge made of stone and lime, connects the San Cristobal district with the Cooripaccha area.

OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY

Huaytará

Located 315 km south of Lima along the South Pan-American Highway as far as the town of Pisco, then along the Los Libertadores highway. Besides the natural beauty of this area, it has over fifty cultural and ethnographic manifestations. Prominent among these are the Inca Temple, cold and hot water baths, and the Sumacc Pata terraces.

Incahuasi Ruins

Further along the Los Libertadores highway about 20 km from Huaytará, these ruins are grouped in five clusters; two buildings with high adobe walls are said to have been part of the Inca palace.

Santa Bárbara Deadly Mine

Situated 4 km South of Huancavelica, about a 1 ½ h walk. For more than two centuries, the mining system caused a heavy death toll among the natives in this area. (It is said that native mothers went as far as breaking their sons’ bones to prevent them from being worked to death in the Deadly Mine). There are traces of a town with a colonial structure in this area. The coat of arms of the Spanish Crown is carved in stone at the main entrance to the mine.

El Arco El Triunfo

Located 1 km southeast of the town (about 30 minutes on foot) in an area called Santa Inés Pata, this stone arch is a historical monument, considered to be the main entrance to the town.

Inkañan Uchkus Archaeological Complex

Situated 24 km From Huancavelica, approximately 45 minutes by car, this religious and astronomical complex includes a farming complex, an astronomical platform with water mirrors to measure the classic movements of the sun and moon, and miniature terraces to improve the crops.

Santa Rosa Farmhouse

Located east of the town, some 4,5 km by road along the Huancavelica-Huancayo highway, a 10 minute drive. It is a large old house with a chapel, containing traces of mural paintings on the side walls and a distillery.

Puya de Raimondi

Situated 14 km west of the town via the Huancavelica-Pisco highway, is a forest with about 1 100 seedlings of Puya, a species with the greatest inflorescence in the world, growing as tall as 12 m and covering about 2 km2.

HANDICRAFTS

Pottery, leatherwork and knitted goods.

GASTRONOMY

Typical dishes:

• Ropa vieja (meat stew with pulses, potatoes, rice and cabbage).
• Caldo de mondongo ( tripe soup with corn, spearmint and giblets).
• Pachamanca (various types of meat, potatoes and corn covered with aromatic herbs and cooked underground between hot stones, in pre-Hispanic style).

Typical desert: Ayrampo pudding.

FESTIVALS

Festival of the Lost Child (January)

The purpose of this religious festival is to find baby Jesus, who is in the temple having a discussion with lawyers, in order to adore Him and sing and dance for Him in thanksgiving. The festival lasts four never-ending days, with typical dances and competitions along the town’s main streets.

Easter (March / April)

Easter or Holy Week is a representation of the events in which Christ played a main role 2 000 years ago. The faithful in Huancavelica express their Christian devotion during night-time processions and liturgical ceremonies on Palm Sunday.

Festival of the Crosses (June)

The first festival brought by the Spaniards was the feast of Pentecost or the Arrival of the Holy Spirit, a week-long celebration in every neighborhood, under the symbol of Crosses. The celebrations include taking down the crosses and holding bullfights in every district, accompanied by Wagra Pukis, the songs of Jarawis and the famous pututeros.

SERVICES

• Land Transport
• Railroad Transport: Huancavelica – Huancayo Route
• Health Centers
• Police Stations
• Artisan Markets
• Post Office

Send us an email for more detail