Why Huancavelica
Huancavelica, also known in Quechua as Wankawillka, is an Andean city in Peru serving as the capital of the surrounding department of the same name. Situated at an altitude of approximately 3,676 meters (12,060 feet) in the western Andes, the city had a population of 49,570 during the 2017 census, with Indigenous peoples making up a major portion of its residents. The surrounding landscape features extreme elevation changes ranging from deep valleys at 1,950 meters to snow-capped peaks exceeding 5,000 meters in the Chunta mountain range, including summits such as Sitaq, Wamanrasu, and Altar. The region is traversed by the Mantaro, Huarpa, Churcampa, and Pampas rivers, with the Pampas originating in high mountain lakes like Chuqlluqucha and Urququcha.
Originally recognized in local tradition as a sacred stone area, the settlement was officially established on August 5, 1572, as Villa Rica de Oropesa by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo. The town became vital to the Spanish Empire after rich cinnabar and mercury deposits were revealed nearby in the mid-1560s. Because mercury was required to extract silver using amalgamation methods, the Spanish Crown took control of the sites in 1570, relying on the mandatory mita service system to supply miners for dangerous underground tunnels. Operations at the famous Santa Barbara mine made the area the primary mercury supplier in Spanish America until production halted in 1813, later resuming under private ownership in 1915.
Visitors to the area can observe notable colonial architecture, including eight historic churches distributed across the town, highlighted by the central cathedral located on the main square. Roughly three kilometers from the city along an old road sits the historic Santa Barbara mining site. Sports fans can find the IPD Stadium of Huancavelica, which has a capacity of 2,500 and sits at 3,676 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest sporting venues worldwide. Educational institutions in the city include the National University of Huancavelica, as well as technical and pedagogical institutes. Additionally, a traditional regional wedding song recorded in 1977 was included on the Voyager Golden Record probes.
Huancavelica experiences a cold, dry climate between February and August, followed by a rainy period running from September through January. The city is accessible by bus along paved roads connecting to Huancayo, Lima, and the coastal city of Pisco, with departures running from a terminal on the western side of town. Rail service to Huancayo is provided by a line locally referred to as el Tren Macho, which completed a track gauge update in late 2010. Travelers should note that centuries of historic quicksilver mining have left environmental contamination, though modern public initiatives aim to foster economic development across the city.
01 Weather
54°
40°
☔ 100% 
58°
38°
☔ 79% 
60°
41°
☔ 42%
62°
41°
☔ 83% 
62°
40°
☔ 95%
45°
45°
☔ 94%