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Abancay
—  Town  —
Central square in Abancay
Flag Seal
Motto: La Fuerza Del Desarrollo
Abancay Location of the city of Abancay in Peru
Coordinates: 13°38′S 72°53′W / 13.633°S 72.883°W / -13.633; -72.883
Country	Peru
Region	Apurímac Region
Province	Abancay Province
Established	1540
Government
- Mayor	Manuel Campos Césped
Elevation	2,378 m (7,802 ft)
Population (2007)
- Total	57,750
	calculation
Website	www.muniabancay.gob.pe

Abancay is a city in central Peru, capital and most important city of the Apurímac Region and capital of the Abancay Province.

Location

Market in Abancay

Abancay is located at an elevation of 2378 m in the central Andes above the Pachachaca River. Nearest cities are Cusco and Andahuaylas. Abancay is a located at the junction of two important Peruvian roads: the Caminos del Inca Road, an old road since Incan times, between the cities of Nazca and Cusco, and the Via de los Libertadores, between Ayacucho and Cusco.

History

Abancay was already a populated area before the arrival of the Incas. It was the frontier of the Quechua-Inca influence area to the Chancas, an ethnic native group of Peru. Its name comes from a typical flower of the region called Amankay and when the Spanish arrived, they transliterated the word and named the city Abancay, Villa de los Reyes ("Amancay, Town of the Kings") and then it was later reduced to Abancay, its actual name.

Tourism

Carnival Festival is the main celebration of the town and is famous in Peru for being one of the best ethnomusical festivals. It takes place from the last week of February through the first week of March. The Comparsas contest and Yunsa games with people dressing local traditional dresses takes all the city.

The city and its surroundings have some beautiful landscapes, such as the Ampay National Sanctuary, located at the north of the city, on wich Apu Ampay (The Ampay Lord in the indigenous cosmiovision) is located and reach approximately 5300 meters above the sea level; lagoons, waterfalls, wildlife, and the famous INTIMPA tree (a unique tropical conifer) could be foun in the Park.

Pachachaca River if famous for his colonial bridge and valley where you could practice canyoeering and kayaking in one of the best and longest Peruvian places for to do it. Remains of The Pachachaca State, an important producer of sugar and brandy in the colonial and republic times, is now part of the city.

Saywite Archeological Site is a famous temple and adoration centre of the Inkas time located a few kilometers of the city. Here is placed the worldwide renamed Saywite Stone which a representation of the Inka world with the particularity that the stone has spheric shape, which is evidence that the Inkas has better astronomy that his Europeans counterparts. Taxi service is provided from the city.

Ccocnoc ("konoc") Thermal Waters is a resort located few kilometers from Saywite and constitute one of the best places in Peru for enjoy baths with volcanic waters. Numerous evidence shows that regular baths with this waters can cure arthritis, asthma, and psoriasis.

Abancay is the gate to the Inka city of Choquequirao, next to the Apurimac River, which is, for many, as important as Machu Picchu is. Discovered remains shows only few of the real dimensions of the city.

Education

Universities

Abancay, despite the size of the city, is an important centre of higher education. The city is home of one state university Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurimac and two private universities, Universidad Particular Tecnológica de los Andes and Universidad Alas Peruanas. There are also two college level institutions, Escuela Normal La Salle for teachers and education issues, and SENATI for industrial-related training.

Literary References

This town is the setting of José María Arguedas's novel, Deep Rivers. An important book that accounts the history, traditions and customs of the city is Alma y Rostro de Abancay by Guillermo Vidalegut, a local journalist an author.

References

External links

• Municipalidad de Abancay
• Universidad Particular Tecnológica de los Andes
• Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurimac
• World Gazatteer

Coordinates: 13°38′S 72°53′W / 13.633°S 72.883°W / -13.633; -72.883

Regional capitals of Peru Abancay · Arequipa · Ayacucho · Cajamarca · Callao · Cerro de Pasco · Chachapoyas · Chiclayo · Cusco · Huacho · Huancavelica · Huancayo · Huánuco · Huaraz · Ica · Iquitos · Moquegua · Moyobamba · Piura · Pucallpa · Puerto Maldonado · Puno · Tacna · Trujillo · Tumbes

From Wikitravel

Abancay is in the department of Apurimac, Peru in a valley over the Pachachaca river. The population is 58,000, and with an altitude of 2,378 m.

Abancay is part of Peru's Southern Sierra.

Understand

The Tourist Office is next to the Plaza de Armas.

Get in

All buses on the Lima-Nazca-Cuzco line pass through Abancay. The road is well paved.

There are daily buses from and to Andahuaylas, the closest airport . This journey takes 5 to 6 h hours on a unpaved road.

Get around

Distances are short, so walking is your best options for getting around. If you need a taxi, don't pay more than 3 Soles (0,80 US$) in the city.

• AMPAY (mountain and tree species) protected area (sanctuary)

• Swimming in natural water pool
• Cock fights
• Take a hike. Mountains (foothills) rise abruptly from the North and South end of town, allowing you to be in a beautiful setting with stunning views very quickly. From the center of town, walk downhill and cross the river. Head for the radio tower up on the hill (south). From here, a large wide trail that's cut into the side of the mountains proceeds west along the side of the folded ridges. A lovely walk that goes on for miles. Nice at sunset. Bring a flashlight, though, in case it gets dark as you're coming back - it's a steep drop-off the side of the trail.  edit

Eat

Avenida Arenas, which turns into Arequipa, is the main drag through town. You can find all manner of restaurants and bars along this strip. Also a market for picking up fruits and vegetables. There are also a couple of supermarkets along this street. Paralleling this street one block further uphill is another avenue with a fair amount of shops and restaurants, including a vegetarian one.

• El Dorado, Av. Arenas, good and safe, ca. US$ 5.

• Hotel Turistas (old hacienda),splurge with hot water and dining-room.

• Hotel Paraiso, across from the bus terminal. 30 soles for a matrimonial with bano privado. Nice place, television, but lacked hot water despite the claims.
• Saywa Hotel, 302 Av. Arenas, ☎ (083) 32-4876, [1]. A good value for the price. Nice rooms with real, strong hot water showers, cable TV, and a fast connection of WiFi. Rooms on the front have fantastic views overlooking the park and mountains behind. Price includes breakfast. Price for a single room is normally 50 Soles per night, but can be talked down to 40 Soles.  edit

Get out

You can visit the Canyon of Apurimac (Cañon de Apurimac) and cross it on a hanging bridge. Take a bus towards Cuzco and exit after ca. 1h at the village of Curuahuasi. Then go to Cachora - you can rent mules,horses and guides (canyon depth approx. 1000 m - one of the deepest in the world)

If you have 3 days, you can climb the canyon at the other side and visit the recently discovered and only 30% excavated ruins of an Inca city (Choquequirao). Guides can be easily found via the tourist office in Abancay.

From Abancay to Puquio the bus costs 40 soles and the first one of the day leaves at 12 noon (Palamino). The views and country along this route are great, but it is windy.