Capital: City of Ayacucho
Altitud: 2.746 m.o.s.l.
Distance: Lima 500 Kilometers.
The province is located in the South-Central sierra of the Andes. The city of Ayacucho, capital of the province, is one of the most remarkable colonial urban settlements. Known as "Sevilla Peruana" for its religious festivities of Semana Santa (Holly Week) and "Ciudad de las Iglesias" (city of the churches) for its several temples and beautiful houses of European style. Beautiful houses with ample patios and valious museums constitute interesting tourist centers.
It is interesting to visit its 33 colonial churches of renaissance baroque and mestizo styles, with stone fronts and insides carved in wood and covered with layers of precious metals.
The Cathedral (1612), San Cristobal (from 1540, is the oldest temple of the zone), San Agustin (1657), Santo Domingo (1548), San Francisco de Paula, La Merced (1540), La Compañía (1605) and San Francisco de Asís (1552).
The handicrafts of Ayacucho, some of the best of Peru, are admired all over the world. Its reredoses with every-day-life scenes are popular (made of alabaster with lime figures), the wooden crosses with the symbols of the passion of the Christ, the fine weaving of alpaca and vicuña wool, the stone sculptures of Huamanga and the jewelry in silver filigree.
In Ayacucho it is interesting to visit:

:: CITY TOUR AYACUCHO
We will visit the Caceres Museum, the principal temples and the main square of Huamanga, also we will know the old colonial houses as the Huamanga University, the see touristic point of Acuchimay, the Santa Ana handycraft neighborhood, etc.

:: WARI / QUINUA
At 25 kilometers on the route Ayacucho - Quinua, in the county of Huari, are the remains of the broad archeological zone identified as the capital of the Wari Culture, the first Andean empire that had a population of 50.000 inhabitants.
Town of Quinua, located at 36 kilometers from Ayacucho. This little town of pottery artisans is near the famous pampa where the independence of Peru was gained.

:: HUANTA VALLEY
Valle of Huanta, located at 50 kilometers from Ayacucho. It is known as "Esmeralda de los Andes" for its favorable location and rich biodiversity in flora and fauna. In this valley it can see many ecological steps from jungle to snowy peaks. The Valley of Huanta is famous for its liquors of fruit and bee honey. We will observ the snow peak of Rasuhuillka, its wonderfull lakes, stones in a forest imagen and water falls.
In the way we visit the Pikimachay Caves, on the 25 Km. of the road to Huanta. It is a natural rocky shelter of volcanic origin at the end of the era tertiary and the beginnings of the quaternary age.

:: INKA CITY OF VILCASHUAMAN
The Archeological Site of Vilcashuaman is located at 110 kilometers from Ayacucho, in the district of Cangallo. There is a momumental fortification of the Incas that means "halcon sagrado". The citadell conserves magnifiscent buildings of stone, including the temple of the Sun and Moon and the Graded Pyramid of Ushnu.
The Ushnu is a cut-short, graded pyramid with five superposed platforms. The stones of the construction were carved and assambled with great accuracy. On the upper part, the "sillon del Inca" (Inca`s chair) stands out, a monolithic stone block with two seats from where, according to the popular tradition, the Inca and the Colla assisted the military and religious ceremonies that were carried out on the plaza Vilcashuaman.

:: LAGOON AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPLEX OF POMACOCHA
It is located at 720 kilometers from Ayacucho. Known as "Laguna de las Parihuanas". It has a white and red feathered flamingoes. The lagoon is characterized for its natural beauty, due to being surrounded by the mountain range of Huanzo, the volcano Sara Sara and the volcano Achatayhua.
Mistic lagoon that is characterized for its natural beauty and ceremonial designed by the Inkas in the way of a seized feline. It is urrounded by the archaeological complez on the same name, where you have constructions made in volcanic rock, like the "Portada del Sol", "el Aklla Wasi", "Inca bains", inka steps, etc. En la lagoon there is plenty of silvester birds and fishes.