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Huancavelica
The department of Huancavelica features one of the roughest terrains in the country, formed by valleys, deep gorges, towering mountains, sinuous roads, and mesas.
The city of Huancavelica is bordered by fertile fields and green pastures where cattle graze. These highlands were inhabited by the Waris and later by the warring Chancas. The area was finally incorporated into the Inca Empire and became a military center. Following that period, the Spanish discovered silver and mercury mines, a reason for establishing themselves there. Currently, the city preserves its mansions and magnificent Colonial churches.
In the surrounding areas, there is the town of Santa Barbara with its old church and mines that have been used since Colonial times. You can also visit Izcuchaca, a center for pottery located seventy-eight kilometers from Huancavelica where there are hot springs and an archeological site.
Tourist Attractions
-Main Square, Huancavelica
It is a legacy of the Colonial court. On one side is the city hall, two-stories tall with eleven arches in its portal that long ago served as the site for the city council. Also there is the Chapel of the Sorrowful Virgin, and in the middle of the square is an octagonal stone fountain where the water comes out of the mouths of two carved Indian faces.
-Cathedral of San Antonio
Main Square, Huancavelica. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 7:00 A.M. – 5:15 P.M. Sun. 5:30 A.M., 8:00 A.M., 9:30 A.M., and 5:15 A.M.
Built in the seventeenth century, the front is impacting for the contrast between its white prismatic towers and Baroque style façade that is carved from Indian red, volcanic rock. Inside the church, the dominating feature is the Baroque upper altar, yet the pulpit and the side altars, covered in gold leaf, catch the eye, as well as the paintings from the Cusco and Huamanga Schools.
-Daniel Hernandez Regional Museum
Jiron Arica, block 2 (Location of the National Cultural Institute)
Plaza San Juan de Dios. Telephone: (067) 75-3420 Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
The location possesses a varied collection of pieces from mollusk fossils and other marine species from the Tertiary and Quaternary to pre-Incan objects, Vice royal pieces, and artifacts form the War for Independence. There are also works of art from Peruvian painters like Daniel Hernandez, Fernando de Szyszlo, Milner Cajahuaringa, and others.
-Church and Convent of San Francisco
Plaza Bolognesi
The church, built in 1774, is preserved nearly intact despite all the earthquake activity of the past. Like the majority of Andean churches, it is a Mixed style construction, and inside you can appreciate Baroque shrines and wood carvings, covered in gold leaf, like the impressive image of San Francisco.
The convent is linked to popular tales like the one about the “headless priest” which, according to the legend, is a Franciscan priest who hung himself in one of the cells and now haunts the place, walking out at night and ringing the church bells.
The stage in front of the church is the scene of the “Scissors Dance” contest on December 24th and 25th as well as the “Adoration of the Three Kings”.
-Church of Santo Domingo
Jiron Carabaya, Plaza Santo Domingo
Built in the sixteenth century, it is the center for prayer to the Virgin of the Rosario and Santo Domingo, whose images were brought over from Rome. According to tradition, the Church of Santo Domingo was connected to the Church of San Francisco via secret passageways. Of distinction is the painting of the Señor de la Sentencia y Resurrección, completed in 1666. In front of the principal façade during the month of January, the celebration of the Adoration of the Niño Dulce Nombre de Jesus takes place in which for two days He is worshipped through different dances, most importantly by the dance of the Negritos.
-Church of San Juan de Dios
Plaza San Juan de Dios
A seventeenth century church that on the inside paintings from the Huamanga School are preserved. This church is characterized by its charity towards the poor indigenous people who mainly worked in the Santa Barbara mine.
-Church of San Sebastian
Plaza Bolognesi
It was built in the eighteenth century. The flat ceiling of the right hand nave is completely covered in gold leaf. The highlight is the image of the Señor del Prendimiento, whose worship gathers together thousands of believers during Holy Week.
-Colonial Bridge of the Ascension
Jiron Tambo de Mora
It was built in the seventeenth century and is currently the boundary between the Huancavelica downtown, known as “el cercado”, and the District of La Ascension in order to facilitate the transportation of goods. The bridge has maintained its original structure with arches on both sides that frame the gentle curve of its center, even though it has been remodeled on various occasions.
-San Cristobal Neighborhood Hot Springs Pool
Avenida 28 de Abril. San Cristobal Neighborhood. Telephone: (067) 75-3222
Hot springs well known for their medicinal properties, perfect for helping skin conditions. There has been a recreational center built in the place that has a swimming pool for children and adults, private rooms, and a café.
-Church of San Cristobal
Plaza San Cristobal
The church was built around 1770 in the neighborhood of San Cristobal in the highest zone of the city. There are two towers crowned with cupolas on either side of its Baroque entrance. Inside, there are paintings representing the birth of Christ from the Cusco School, and in the side niches you find Mixed style murals representing the passion and death of Jesus Christ.
-Church of Santa Ana
Plaza Ramon Castilla
This was the first church built in the area, and it dates from the end of the sixteenth century. On the inside of the church, you can appreciate paintings from the students of El Greco and a canvas from the Cusco School.
-Santa Barbara Mine or the Mine of Death
6 km southeast of Huancavelica (1 hour and 15 minutes on foot)
It is an ancient mine delved during the Vice royal Period and considered “the precious gem of the Spanish Crown” from which mercury was mined for purifying silver. Because the work was so difficult, it was named “the mine of death”. You can still find ruins of old, Colonial settlements and in the stone of the main entrance to the mine is the graven image of the Spanish royal crest.
-Sacsamarca
3.5 km southwest of Huancavelica (45 minutes on foot 10 minutes by car)
It is located 3,780 m.a.s.l. Here you can appreciate homes built with stones from the area, the bridge, the church, and a Mixed-style small main square. The Andean countryside is surrounded by huge mountains, and the town is divided by the Disparate River.
-Uchkus Inkañan Archeological Complex
Approximately 26 km from Huancavelica (Around 1 hour and 45 minutes by car)
This was an important administrative, religious, and astronomical study center. On one of the platforms, there are small pools of water that could allow for the movements of the sun and the moon to be followed. Also, you can see an area set aside for farming with agricultural terraces that might have been used for experimenting with different crops.
-Tucumachay Gorge and the Huancavelica National University Production and Research Center for South American Camelids
19 km from Huancavelica (45 minutes by bus)
Impressive vistas made even more so by the presence of vicuñas, alpacas, llamas, and other animals, whose populations are managed by the university. You can also be awed by the perpetual snows of Mount Andres (5,170 m.a.s.l.), at whose peak glide condors.
-Mount Chonta
64 km from Huancavelica (1 hour and 45 minutes by car)
A wonderful spot for all types of adventure sports.
-Lake Pultocc
68 km from Huancavelica (Approx. 3 hours by bus) and 4 km from the town of Choclococha
Plenty of wild animals call this home like trout, wild ducks, and flamingos. It is also a watering hole for the local cattle herds and the nearby areas are covered with snow.
-Lake Choclococha
72 km from Huancavelica (10 minutes from the town of Choclococha by the horse trail and 15 minutes from Santa Ines by bus)
It is perfect for trout fishing and an inexhaustible source of water for the crops in the valleys of the Ica Region.
-District of Izcuchaca
78 km north of Huancavelica (2 hours by packed dirt road) and from Huancayo (1 hour and 30 minutes by packed dirt road)
Here, hot springs are found in the places of Paucari, Huaspu, and Aguas Calientes. In the highest parts, the oldest known traces of a pre-Andean human presence exist, predating the Incan and even pre-Incan epochs.
Source Promperu
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