Huancayo, city of Wankas and festivals!

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Huancayo, home to the Wanka tribe and city of festivals, 3280m (10,760ft) in the Andes and 380 kms (236 miles) from Lima, was our home for 3 weeks. We fancied taking one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world from Lima to Huancayo, it's also the highest train journey in the world reaching a height of 4815m (15,800ft), but it only runs once a month, a schedule which defies the most organised travel itinery! And our travel itinery wasn't organised anyway!

Huancayo comes from the original quechua words "huanca-ayllu", meaning people or town of stone. There are many archeological sites of the Huancas (also known as Wankas) around the valley, but the tribe only covered a small part of Peru. The Spanish (conquerors of Peru in the 1500's) changed the city's name to Huancayo, meaning 'incontrastable', that is, a city with no comparison to others, due to the fact that the Wankas were very heroic in various wars, and most spectacular in their resistance to the Incas (who were the conquerors before the Spanish). The Incas would normally assimilate conquered tribes into their culture but the Wankas were unique in maintaining their own cutural heritage. More recently Huancayo had been the headquarters of the brutal terrorist Maoist group, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), the shine soon faded, however, when their leader, Oscar Ramirez Durand was captured in 1999! Since then Huancayo has been a safer place.

Anyway enough of the geography and history lessons! We stayed with a great Peruvian family with about 10 other volunteers. The family headed by Tino run a small volunteer and cultural exchange organisation called Tinkuy Peru. I (Gerry) taught English to a group of teenage boys in a local orphanage. With their little English and my little Spanish we had a great laugh! Denise helped Tino in developing a curriculum for the under 5's nursery he hopes to start. Tino is a master weaver and teaches weaving to the volunteers, using 3 looms which dominate the living/dining room. Denise knocked out a uniquely designed rug (or is it a bedspread?). We really enjoyed our stay with Tino's very friendly family and a great bunch of volunteers.

I give more details about the trips we did while in Huancayo in the next article.

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Photos

Boy and dog
Overlooking the city of Huancayo

The Andean School
Recently relocated from the main Plaza to the same street as Tino's house.

Corner
The corner opposite Tino's house.

Two children playing
In a street near Tino's house

Plaza de La Constitucion
The centre of the city

The Obelisk
Near Tino's house

Boy with tyre and Catalina Wanka
In the Parque de La Identidad.

Gerry, Den, Davis, David
In the Parque de La Identidad.

Women cooking donuts
Next to the Parque de La Identidad, there is a nice area with craft stalls and eating places.

Bird posing with statue
In the Parque de La Identidad.

Matching hats!
I loved the way this woman's hat matched the statue of the hat in the Parque de La Identidad.

Grandma's birthday
With volunteers

Comments

[Yessy]

Greetings
I like your description of my city. Now i am living in Lima Capital of Peru. I remember when I lived there, so i feel very proud of Huancayo. I hope you will visit soon again. Yessy

[Beyi]

Is an honor to see this page about my city ..Huancayo lindo .. will always be n my heart:)