Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [257]
POST
Post office (31-2224; Asamblea 293; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat) It’s 150m from the Plaza de Armas.
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AYACUCHO’S CHURCHES
Ayacucho boasts more than 30 churches and temples. In the likely event that you don’t have time to visit each one, here is a crash course in the most significant.
Templo de San Cristóbal (Jirón 28 de Julio, cuadra 6) The oldest city church, dating from 1540.
Iglesia de Santa Clara (Grau at Nazareno) Attracts thousands of pilgrims annually for the image of Jesus of Nazareth supposedly inside.
Iglesia de Santa Domingo (Jirón 9 de Diciembre at Bellido) One of the most photogenic churches, dating from 1548.
Iglesia de La Merced (Jirón 2 de Mayo at San Martín) Dating from 1550, full of colonial art and with one of Peru’s oldest convents (1540) attached.
Iglesia de Santa Teresa (Jirón 28 de Julio) Gorgeous church-cum-monastery with an altar studded in seashells.
Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis (Jirón 28 de Julio) Visually striking stone church containing retablos (ornamental religious dioramas) and an attractive 17th-century adjoining convent. It’s opposite the market.
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TOURIST INFORMATION
iPerú (31-8305; iperuayacucho@promperu.gob.pe; Plaza Mayor, Portal Municipal 48, Municipalidad Huamanga; 8:30am-7:30pm Mon-Sat, to 2:30pm Sun) One of Peru’s best tourist offices. Helpful advice; English spoken.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
Wily Tours (31-4075; Jirón 9 de Diciembre 107) Good for flight and bus reservations.
Sights
Sights in Ayacucho consist primarily of churches and museums. While the listed museums have posted (although frequently altering) opening times, churches are a law unto themselves. Some list their visiting times on the doors; with others you will have to take potluck. During Semana Santa churches are open for most of the day; at other times ask at the tourist office, which publishes the guide Circuito religioso with information on opening hours. Joining the congregation for mass (usually 6am to 8am Monday to Saturday) is an interesting way of seeing inside the churches.
The 17th-century cathedral, on the Plaza de Armas, has a religious-art museum. The cathedral and a dozen other 16th- to 18th-century colonial churches are well worth a visit for their incredibly ornate facades and interiors, mainly Spanish baroque but often with Andean influences evinced by the wildlife depicted. Ayacucho claims to have 33 churches (one for each year of Christ’s life) but there are, in fact, several more. The most important churches are marked on the map, opposite (also see above).
Most of the colonial mansions are now mainly political offices and can be visited, usually during business hours. The offices of the department of Ayacucho (the Prefectura) on the Plaza de Armas are a good example. The mansion was constructed between 1740 and 1755 and sold to the state in 1937. On the ground floor is a pretty courtyard where visitors can see the cell of the local heroine of independence, María Parado de Bellido.
Also worth a look is the Salón de Actas in the Consejo Municipal, next to the cathedral, with its excellent view of the plaza. On the north side of the plaza are other fine colonial houses, including the Palacio del Marqués, at Portal Unión 37, which is the oldest and dates from 1550. The tourist office can suggest others around the center to visit.
The Museo de Arte Popular (Portal Unión 28; admission free; 8am-1pm & 1.30-3.15pm Mon-Fri) is in the 18th-century Casa Chacón, adjoining the Banco de Crédito. The popular art covers the ayacucheño (natives of Ayacucho) spectrum – silverwork, rug- and tapestry-weaving, stone and woodcarvings, ceramics (model churches are especially popular) and the famous retablos (ornamental religious dioramas). These are colorful wooden boxes varying in size and containing intricate papier-mâché models; Peruvian rural scenes or the nativity are particularly popular, but some interesting ones with political or social commentary can be seen here. Old and new photographs show how Ayacucho changed during the 20th century. Opening hours