Huariwilca

These ruins from the Huanca and Huari cultures are six kilometers south of Huancayo [1]. The ruins are located below the plaza of the village of Huari, which is next to Río Chancas.

The ceremonial center includes a high wall, staircase, interior passageways, and two huge molle trees. Huariwilca means “sacred place of the Huari,” the Ayacucho [2]-based culture that spread throughout Peru’s highlands between A.D. 700 and 1200.

The nearby museum (8 a.m.–1 p.m. and 3–6 p.m. Tues.–Sun., US$0.50) includes many pre-Inca artifacts found at the site, including spondylus shells imported from Ecuador, ceramics, metalworks, and a female mummy, found at the site, known as The Maiden of Huariwilca.

To get to the ruins, near the town of Huari, take a blue-and-white bus to Huari from the corner of Giráldez and Ferrocarril in HUancayo.