The Central Highlands
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Central Highlands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Sort by:
35 Recommendations
{{numTotalPoiResults}} {{ (numTotalPoiResults===1)?'Recommendation':'Recommendations' }}
0 Recommendations
Loading...
-
21. La Compañía de Jesús
Religious Building/Site/ShrineYou can't miss the striking red trim on the baroque-style exterior of this 17th-century Jesuit church. The towers were added a century after the main building, which has religious art and a gilt altar.
Jr. 28 de Julio 128, Ayacucho, Ayacucho, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
22. Museo Cáceres
Museum/GalleryLocated in the Casona Vivanco, a 17th-century mansion, the Museo Cáceres was once the home of Andrés Cáceres, an Ayacucho resident and former Peruvian president best known for his successful guerrilla leadership during the 1879–83 War of the Pacific against Chile. This is one of the city's best-preserved historic buildings, which today houses a mix of military memorabilia and ancient local artifacts, including stone carvings and ceramics. Note the gallery of colonial-style paintings. The Museo de Arte Religioso Colonial can also be found within these storied walls, and exhibits antique objects from the city's early days.
Casona Vivanco, 28 de Julio 508, Ayacucho, Ayacucho, Peru066-836–166Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/4, S/2, Closed Sun. -
23. Museo de Arqueología y Antropología Hipólito Unánue
Museum/GalleryRegional finds from the Moche, Nazca, Ica, Inca, Chanka, Chavín, Chimu, and Huari cultures are on display here, at the Centro Cultural Simón Bolívar. Highlights of the archaeology and anthropology museum include ceremonial costumes, textiles, everyday implements, and even artwork from some of the area's earliest inhabitants. The museum is locally referred to as Museo INC.
Centro Cultural Simón Bolívar, Av. Independencia 502, Ayacucho, Ayacucho, Peru066-312–056Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/4, Closed Mon. -
24. Museo de la Memoria
Museum/GalleryDesigned and run by a women's nonprofit in Ayacucho, this small but moving museum recounts the atrocities of the Sendero Luminoso era from the perspective of the local peasantry. The walls feature folk-art depictions of the violence, as well as photographs of the conflict's victims. The exhibit detailing the tortures and mass graves at the nearby Los Cabitos military base is chilling.
Prolongación Av. Libertad, cuadra 14, Ayacucho, Ayacucho, Peru066-317–170Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/3, Closed Sun. -
25. Museo de Quinua
Museum/GalleryImmerse yourself in Latin American revolutionary history through exhibits in the compact Museo de Quinua, which has on display relics from the Battle of Ayacucho. Next door, be sure to visit the room where the Spanish signed the final peace accords recognizing Latin America's independence. Come the first week in December to celebrate the town's role in Peru's democracy, when you'll see extravagant local performances, parties, parades, and crafts fairs. There's also a little local market on Sunday.
Plaza de Armas, Quinua, Ayacucho, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: S/2 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
26. Museo Salesiano
Museum/GalleryLook for the well-preserved rainforest creatures and butterflies from the northern jungles among this museum's more than 10,000 objects. Local fossils and archaeological relics are also on display.
Jr. Santa Rosa 299, in Colegio Salesiano, Huancayo, Junín, Peru064-247–763Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/5, Closed Sun. -
27. Palacio del Marqués de Mozobamba
Historic HomeBuilt in 1550 and now part of the cultural center for San Cristobal de Huamanga University, the Palacio del Marqués de Mozobamba is one of the oldest mansions in Peru. The colonial-era, baroque-style architecture includes portales (stone arches) in front and a monkey-shaped stone fountain in the courtyard. On the left side as you enter, you'll see the remains of Inca stone walls discovered during restorations in 2003.
Portal Unión 37, Plaza de Armas, Ayacucho, Ayacucho, Peru066-327–448Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
28. Pampa de Huánuco
RuinsAlso known as Huánuco Viejo, this was formerly the ancient capital city of Chinchaysuyo, the northern portion of the Inca Empire. These highland pampas contain Inca ruins and are near the town of La Unión, a S/30 taxi ride from Huánuco. Note the trapezoidal double-jamb doorways, an Inca hallmark. During the last week of July, the Fiesta del Sol (Sun Festival) takes place at the ruins.
Huánuco, Huanuco, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
29. Parque de la Identidad Huanca
City ParkThe focus of the beautiful Parque de la Identidad Huanca is the pre-Inca Huanca culture, which once occupied the area but left few clues to its lifestyle. A 5-km (3-mile) drive from Huancayo, the park has pebbled paths and small bridges that meander through blossoming gardens and past a rock castle just right for children to tackle. An enormous sculpture at the park's center honors the local artisans who produce the city's mates burilados.
San Antonio, Huancayo, Junín, Peru -
30. Parque del Cerro de la Libertad
City ParkAn all-in-one amusement site 1 km (½ mile) northeast of the city, the Parque del Cerro de la Libertad lets you picnic in the grass, watch the kids at the playground, swim in the public pool, dine at a restaurant, or stroll through the zoo. Folkloric dancers and musicians perform at the Liberty Hill Park amphitheater on weekends. A 15-minute walk from the park brings you to the site of Torre Torre, a cluster of 10– to 30-meter (30- to 98-foot) rock towers formed by wind and rain erosion.
Av. Giráldez, Huancayo, Junín, Peru -
31. Piscina de Aguas Termales de San Cristóbal
Hot SpringLocals believe that these hot-spring mineral baths, found in the tree-covered slopes north of town, have healing powers. Hundreds of pilgrims come from the surrounding villages during holy days.
Av. 28 de Abril, San Cristóbal, Huancavelica, Huancavelica, Peru067-753–222Sight Details
S/5 private room, S/2 public area -
32. Plaza de Armas
Plaza/SquareHuancavelica's main gathering place showcases wonderful colonial architecture. Across from the plaza is the restored 17th-century cathedral, which contains a silver-plated altar.
Plaza de Armas, Huancavelica, Huancavelica, Peru -
33. Plaza Huamanmarca
Plaza/SquareWhen the Spanish founded Huancayo in 1572, the Plaza Huamanmarca was the city center and the site of the weekly feria dominical (Sunday market). Today Huamanmarca Square is fronted by the post office, the telephone agency, and the Municipal Hall, and the feria dominical now takes place on Avenida Huancavelica.
Calle Real between Loreto and Piura, Huancayo, Junín, Peru -
34. Prefectura
Historic HomeAlso known as the Boza and Solís House, the Prefectura is tucked into a two-story, 1748 casona histórica (historic mansion). Local independence-era heroine María Prado de Bellido was held prisoner in the Prefectura's patio room until her execution by firing squad in 1822. The balcony opens out onto a lovely view of the Plaza de Armas.
Portal Constitución 15, Ayacucho, Ayacucho, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. -
35. Tomayquichua
Town/VillageThis small village was reportedly the birthplace of Micaela Villegas, a famous indigenous actress in the 18th century and the mistress of Viceroy Manuel de Amat y Juniet, Peru's most prominent colonial official during the Enlightenment. Also known as La Perricholi, the spunky peruanita was the basis of Prosper Mérimée's comic novella Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement before becoming an important character—along with the viceroy—in Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey. A festival in July with parades, music, and dancing celebrates her vitality. Beautiful mountain views are the main attraction of the 2,000-meter-high (6,500-foot- high) area. Sixteenth-century San Miguel Arcángel, one of the first churches built in the Huánuco area, is nearby in the village of Huacar.
Huánuco, Huanuco, Peru
-
{{ (numCurrentPage-1)*numPageLimit+index+1 }}.
{{ item.neighborhood }} | {{ item.first_keyword }}{{ item.review }}
{{ item.address }}{{ item.phone[0] }}{{ item.details.title }} Details
{{ item.details.content.toString() }}View Tours and Activities -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
No sights Results
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Sights in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:
