Ayacucho

History

Modern the Ayacucho was founded on January 29th 1539 by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro under the name of Huamanga, but its prehistory is much older. Its origin would go back to more: 15000 years attested by the discovery of human remainders in the cave of Pikimachay.

The Wari culture

From these grounds emerged, between the VIe and the 12th century, the culture Wari. Ayacucho was the capital of the last empire preincasic.

Waris had a style of construction which was clean for them. Their cities were initially established on plan, then maquettées before being realized. The houses had several stages, and in number of them, the walls of stones were covered with stucco and were painted.

Waris were large ceramists with a very important production whose one finds many historical objects still everywhere.

Their fields were served by long irrigation canals.

The city of Vilcashuaman was an important center and a regional capital, even at the time INCA.

Ushnu is a pyramid in completely remarkable staircase, built in perfectly adjusted bulky blocks. It was a place of important worship.

The Battle of Ayacucho

December 9th 1824, the battle of Ayacucho took place with the pampa of Quinua . She opposed 9.000 men of the last viceroy Jose Laserna, with the 5.750 men of Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martín, led by the general Antonio Jose de Sucre.

The battle lasted only two hours. The troops of the viceroy undergo 1.800 dead and wounded, whereas those of Sugar 310 died and 609 wounded. These last make more than 2.000 prisoners, including the viceroy and his state major with important spoils.

Independence, declared three years earlier by Jose de San Martín, definitively ensures the independence of the Spanish colonies of South America. It will then be necessary to regulate the problem of the division.

A white obelisk of 44 m is drawn up there and each year at the birthday day a reconstitution of the battle takes place.

The luminous Path

In the years 1980, the city was the cradle of the Maoist group of the luminous Sentier tested hard today by the repression of the Peruvian army.

Its chief Abimaël Guzmán, professor of philosophy at the university of Ayacucho, was stopped on September 12th, 1992 and was illegally judged in front of masked judges. However partisans of this liberation movement act always clandestinely in the close provinces and districts.

The department of Ayacucho, by far, was struck the most of all Peru by the terrorism of the luminous path and the exactions of the special squadrons of the army. The assessment for the province is written tragically: more than 10.000 assassinated peasants, 3.000 missings, 50.000 orphans and 170.000 displaced persons. 35% of the population of the city were directly and personally touched of it and ravaged.

In September 1982, Edith Lagos was captured and assassinated by the Peruvian army. This old young woman of hardly 19 years had ordered a detachment of the popular army of release which went to the attack of the prison of State d' Ayucucho where good number of political prisoners was retained. According to the journalist Jonathan Cavanagh of the Wall Street Journal, and although its funeral was declared illegal by the government, there was more than 30.000 people to attend the funeral procession in the streets of Ayacucho, that is to say half of the population of the city.

Culture

The population is very métissée and all the social classes in addition speak the language Quechua to Spanish, whereas in the remainder of the country it is primarily used by the underprivileged classes.

Its music posts also its mongrel heritage through a rich musical folklore, mixing Andean sonorities with the dance Huayno with a strong romantic influence with Spanish resonances. The song Adios pueblo of Ayacucho is a great classic in Peru.

Tourism

The city is surrounded by prickly peartrees ( Tuna ). It has a very pleasant climate.

It is easily parcourable with foot except the effect of altitude. There are the very many ones and beautiful colonial houses to see walks randomly. One finds there also vestiges of very old cultures. The city is famous for its religious holidays and it is known like the city of the 37 churches . It comprises also many convents.

In Quinua, site of the battles of Ayacucho , there exists a center of craft industry of ceramics, and a lake with 4.200 meters with spangled and of the Vigogne S in freedom.

See too

External bonds

tourist and commercial Gate of Ayacucho
wikitravel

For other glances, feelings, images de/depuis Ayacucho, Peru, to see the blog of a local artist:

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