The picturesque district of Chinchero is one of the seven that make up the province of Urubamba, located in the heart of the Cusco region. Also, this ancient settlement is positioned as one of the most beautiful and authentic destinations in the entire Sacred Valley of the Incas. Its altitude and privileged geography make it a wonderful place where travelers can still feel and appreciate the Andean culture.
In addition, what makes this town truly extraordinary is its unique main square, which is built directly on the stone foundations of what was once an imposing Inca palace. Also, the town of Chinchero is highly visited during its typical Sunday fair, an exchange space where ancient commercial customs like bartering are still practiced. This traditional market is the perfect setting to observe the locals proudly wearing their colorful clothing.
Location and geography of Chinchero
The picturesque town of Chinchero is located 28 kilometers northwest of the city of Cusco, belonging to the province of Urubamba. Also, due to its geographic position in the high part of the Sacred Valley, this town sits at a demanding altitude of about 3,762 meters above sea level.
Therefore, a logistical detail you should consider when planning your trip is that it is one of the highest points of the traditional circuit, requiring visitors to arrive with good previous acclimatization.
On the other hand, what makes this place truly extraordinary is the amazing natural setting that surrounds the district. Additionally, from its plains and viewpoints, the view of the Andean landscape is simply impressive, offering an open horizon that overlooks the valley. Also, the town is surrounded by the imposing presence of the mountain range, allowing you to see the majestic snowy peaks of Salkantay, Veronica, and Soray on clear days.
History of Chinchero in the Sacred Valley
The origins of Chinchero in Cusco - Perú are lost in the night of time. There are vestiges that date back approximately two thousand years. The first inhabitants of the region were the Ayarmacas who, when the first Cusco governors arrived, defended their territory and offered serious resistance before being incorporated into the empire. Chinchero was the place chosen by the Inca Tupac Inca Yupanqui to establish his residence. He had beautiful palaces built for his personal use and that of his panaca.
Towards 1536, in the middle of the invasion, Manco Inca began his rebellion by burning Chinchero in Cusco - Perú so that the Spanish did not renew their provisions and stopped pursuing him in his retreat to unknown jungle regions. When Viceroy Toledo visited Cusco, he stopped at Chinchero. Here he established a reduction of Indians and ordered the construction of the current church, which was built on beautiful Inca rooms. Later, during the Tupac Amaru II revolution, the curaca of Chinchero, Mateo García Pamacahua, rose in favor of the King of Spain to fight the rebel. Pumacahua's triumph was eternalized in a mural that today features a cougar defeating a snake (amaru).
Officially, the district of Chinchero in Cusco - Perú was created on September 9, 1905 through Law No. 59 given in the government of President José Pardo y Barreda.
Here is what in the Inca period was the royal hacienda of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, as well as a colonial temple built on the foundations of that civilization, especially the typical wider doors or windows below and narrower above, which was a characteristic of the Inca architecture.
Culture and tradition
Chinchero is the most typical and picturesque town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, it gathers twelve Andean indigenous communities that are still governed by the Inca organization system called "Ayllu". Its population is dedicated to the cultivation of native species and livestock, although today tourism moves a large part of the local economy. A town that struggles to keep its ancient tradition alive.
Chinchero is characterized by the living culture that it still maintains despite the strong incursion of the modern world on traditions. On Sundays, a fair is held in the main square of Chinchero, where you will see products from the town, handicrafts and above all its textiles, which are made in the ancestral style, and where it is still possible to observe barter. If you wish, you can see in the textile centers how the women dressed in their beautiful costumes perform the process of spinning and dyeing the wool with natural dyes, and appreciate the way the Chinchero weavers continue following the ancient tradition.
At the fair you will also be able to observe the "Varayoc" who are the leaders of the communities that are part of Chinchero, who dressed in their typical and multicolored costumes continue jealously to maintain the tradition of their ancestors.
Chinchero: traditional clothing
The town of Chinchero bases its lifestyle on a deep connection with the land, standing out for its fertile fields that make them excellent agricultural producers high in the valley. Likewise, the cultivation of native products such as the potato, olluco, oca, broad bean, barley, and wheat, goes directly back to the techniques of the Inca era. Therefore, these ancient agricultural practices still today form the fundamental axis of local trade, complemented by the other great cultural heritage of the district: the preservation of its identity through textile making.
What makes this destination truly extraordinary is how its inhabitants keep the art of spinning, proudly wearing their typical clothing in daily life and festivities. Here, the man from Chinchero stands out for wearing the classic multicolor "chullo", warm sheep wool ponchos, and the ancient rubber sandals known as "ojotas". Also, the woman from Chinchero keeps her traditional clothing, wearing "llicllas" (dark blankets with red and green filigree), black skirts held with belts or "chumpis", and decorating her fine braids with colorful ribbons, making this community a true guardian of Andean culture.
Weather in Chinchero in the Sacred Valley
The climate is cool, on sunny days the temperature reaches 20 ° C. The climate of the Chinchero Village in Perú is semi-dry and temperate with an average temperature of 9.5 ° C.
The annual average temperature is a maximum of 13 ° C and a minimum of 10 ° C. During the year two seasons are observed: in the summer season (October-March) the rains are abundant and constant, with temperatures that vary between 3 ° and 18 ° C, during the winter (from April to September) the rains stop and the cold is accentuated at night reaching levels below zero, but during the day the sky turns blue and clear with temperatures reaching 17 ° C and the weather is frigid.
The best season to visit the Chinchero Village in Perú is between the months of May to September, a very good time for because the climate is temperate and you can better appreciate the landscapes that will be traveled.
Attractions of Chinchero:
Flanked by large snow-capped mountains such as Salkantay, Verónica and Soray, and the Huaypo and Piuray lagoons, Chinchero has a rich monumental and cultural heritage, it is one of the few places in Cusco that conserves the Inca urban layout in a visible way, the remains of the Inca Palace.
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The Colonial Church of the Nativity
The Church of Our Lady of the Nativity, originally conceived under the name of the Virgin of Montserrat, is one of the best attractions in Chinchero. Its main structure is built directly on the strong stone foundations of an ancient Inca palace in the main square of the town. What makes this place truly extraordinary is the priceless level of its interior art, which contrasts wonderfully with its simple adobe exterior. Also, inside the temple, the artists of the time carved and painted impressive filigree murals with religious themes, highlighting the classic image of the Virgin of Montserrat and canvases of deep historical character that tell of episodes such as the defeat of Túpac Amaru. -
The Hacienda de Mateo Pumacahua House
This hacienda belonged to the curaca of Chinchero, Mateo Pumacahua, the most powerful chief in Peru at the time of the 18th century. He was born in this same town in 1748, and was a participant in the indigenous cause in 1814. -
Piuray and Huaypo lagoons
Huaypo a beautiful lagoon with crystal clear waters, located between the provinces of Urubamba and Anta. Huaypo hosts a wide variety of fish and birds within its approximately 1.5 km by 800 m in length, totally recommended for practicing flat water sports. Piuray has a perimeter of 8,750 m, 465 m wide and 3,000 m. long, a depth between 20 and 50 m. This lagoon supplies water to the cosmopolitan city of Cusco from Tahuantinsuyo. It was the Incas who brought their waters to the imperial city through underground aqueducts. According to one of the local legends, the Sun God asked Manco Cápac for his twin sons to accompany him in his sunset, but when they went to look for them, they discovered that the son who walked the furthest had become the Huaypo lagoon and the daughter in the Piuray lagoon. -
Market in Chinchero Perú
The market in Chinchero Perú is one of the most important in the region due to the high quality of the artisan products sold there, internationally recognized for its excellent work and beauty. In these fairs we can see that the barter (old form of product exchange) still in force; In the market in Chinchero Perú, the granddaughters of the Inca princesses and Chinchero weavers continue weaving wool and making garments, as did the ajllas for the children of the Sun, in imperial Cusco. It takes place every Sunday in the district's Plaza de Armas, where most of Chinchero weavers sell their products. -
Waterfall Poc Poc In Cusco Peru
Undoubtedly, waterfalls and waterfalls are another of nature's impressive creations, which are scattered around the world. There are all kinds of them, from those well known for their height or volume of water and others that don't even have a name, hidden in the shadow of the high mountains even in the Amazon jungles. Added to that long list of waterfalls is the Poc Poc waterfall, which is definitely one of the places that every fan of adventure travel should visit in Cusco. -
Chinchero Archaeological Site
In the museum of the Chinchero Archaeological Site the visitor will be able to find a collection of cultural assets, mainly furniture that was found for the most part in archaeological excavations in the ruins of Chinchero in Perú. Also, ceremonial and utilitarian ceramics, lithic metal, stone objects such as mortars for grinding grains and plants, a large piece of stone carved in the shape of a cougar, typical clothing from the area, bone remains, an ethnographic collection consisting of farming instruments , of fabrics and other materials.
In a second room, there is an important collection of paintings from the Cusqueña School, colonial painting from the 17th and 18th centuries, and two mannequins dressed in typical costumes from the region.
We suggest a visit to the Sunday market, the beautiful colonial church and the Chinchero Archaeological Site that surround the square.
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- Entrance fee: The visit to the ruins of Chinchero in Perú is included in the Cusco tourist ticket.
- Entrance fee to the museum: Nationals (S/. 4) & Foreigners (S/. 7)
- Hours: Every day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Address: Plaza de Armas, Chinchero District.
How to get to Chinchero
The first step, of course, is to go by plane from Lima to Cusco, a trip that lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes. You can also go by bus to the imperial city, but the long tour lasts 1 full day.
Once in Cusco, you must take a bus from Avenida Grau or Calle Pavitos in the direction of Urubamba, it passes through Chinchero after a 40-minute trip. Ask the driver to warn you when you get to Chincheros. To get to the Archaeological Center you have to walk 200 meters from the Plaza de Chincheros.
