Peru is a country of contrasts that brings together in its geography a great diversity of landscapes, cultural and natural elements. Therefore, to get to know it, you need more than a trip to Lima or the Amazon region. Today I propose a walk through the Peruvian Central Sierra , an area of the country that is quite unknown but which, nevertheless, is very authentic.
In addition to having some colonial cities of great beauty and small towns that ooze charm, this part of the country, the most rural Peru, also hides outstanding archaeological ruins .
Ayacucho, a sample of colonial architecture
The city of Ayacucho was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and it enjoys a mild and pleasant climate. Strolling through its streets discovering the many examples of colonial architecture that it hides is a pleasure.
The colonial atmosphere has been preserved in a magnificent way in Ayacucho, for example, in its churches and in its impressive mansions. The city lived through a very hard time during the 1980s, when the Shining Path terrorist group operated in the area, but in 1992 its leaders were arrested and today the group has almost completely disappeared.
A very rural area
This region of Peru is characterized by the rural activity of its towns and its people, so getting to know it will give you a fairly real vision of the country. There are some small towns of interest, such as Lircay or Huancayo . In this last town, a market is organized every Sunday in which the local population sells fabrics, handicrafts and food products. If you can, be sure to visit it.
Very close to Ayacucho, you will find the ruins of Huari , a settlement of about 10 km. squares, consisting of buildings, streets, squares, graves, paths, etc. The Huari were a civilization that was present in this area of Peru between 600 and 1100 AD. Although archaeological work has been scarce today, the importance of the finds makes it interesting to visit this place.