Huancayo
Huancayo with a is the capital of the Junín Region and Huancayo Province, in the central highlands of Peru, in the Mantaro Valley and is crossed by the Shullcas, Chilca and Mantaro rivers. It was founded as a reduction by the name Santísima Trinidad de Huancayo on 1 June 1572, by Don Jerónimo de Silva, a Spanish conquistador. It is the fifth largest city in Peru, with a population of over 500,000 and is among the highest cities in Peru, with an altitude of 3,256 meters above sea level. It is considered the economic and social center of central Peru.
The Huanca people largely inhabited the area even before the Inca Empire at around 500 BC. They would later form the so-called Huanca kingdom.They were incorporated into the Inca Empire, becoming a stopping point along the Qhapaq Ñan, the section that runs through the city, which today is called Calle Real. Upon the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors notably Francisco Pizarro, the Huancas became faithful and staunch allies, participating in the capture of Cusco and the battles against the Incas of Vilcabamba.
Etymology
The word Wankayuq is composed of the root wanka and the derivative suffix -yuq, a common morpheme in other toponyms of the Mantaro Valley. In that sense, a translation of the name would be "The Place of the Stone." This theory is accompanied by an oral tradition of the city that pointed out that in the location of the current Huamanmarca square, there existed at the beginning of the population an oval stone of considerable dimensions. Currently there is no such rock or evidence of its location.History
Pre-Columbian era
The area was originally inhabited by the Huancas. At around 500 BC, they were incorporated into the Wari Empire. Despite efforts to defend its independence, the Huancas were eventually subdued by the Inca leader Pachacutec in 1460 and the region was incorporated into the Inca empire. It subsequently became a notable stopping point along the Inca Camino Real.It was the Wari culture, whose main center is located in what is now the Department of Ayacucho that first began its expansion northward in the sixth century. The peoples of the central area of the valley were part of what became known as the Wari empire. From that time are the remains of the Huari village of Huarivilca. The fall of this empire was followed by the rise of another culture, the Inca culture.
Around 1460, under the rule of the Incan emperor, Pachacuti, the Incas took control of the region and annexed it to their empire. The resistance of the Huancas, as well as the policy of acculturation of the Incas, caused that in this area there was no peaceful coexistence but rather an area of constant convulsion and repression by the Cusco people. However, despite the resistance of the fortress of Watury, the valley was exploited for its fertility and the area was used as one of the main passes of the Inca trail that headed north towards the cities of Cajamarca and Quito.
Around 1460, under the rule of the Incan emperor, Pachacuti, the Incas took control of the region and annexed it to their empire. The resistance of the Huancas, as well as the policy of acculturation of the Incas, caused that in this area there was no peaceful coexistence but rather an area of constant convulsion and repression by the Cusco people. However, despite the resistance of the fortress of Watury, the valley was exploited for its fertility and the area was used as one of the main passes of the Inca trail that headed north towards the cities of Cajamarca and Quito.
Colonial era
After the Spanish colonization in 1534, Huancayo was overshadowed by Jauja, a provisional capital of Peru, until Lima took over that role, as established by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro.In 1570, the viceroy Francisco de Toledo established the site as the center of his encomienda ''Guancayo. The town was officially established on 1 June 1572 with the title of Santísima Trinidad de Huancayo''. In 1813, Huancayo celebrated the promulgation of the Constitution of Cadiz, changing the name of "Plaza del Comercio" to "Plaza de la Constitución".
The main temple was built on land donated by notable neighbors. Its construction began on March 18, 1799 and was completed on March 18, 1831. The square where the cathedral is located used to ge called "Plaza del Comercio" but was renamed "Plaza Constitución" in homage to the oath that was taken in Huancayo in 1813 of the signing of the Liberal Constitution of Cadiz in 1812.
General Simón Bolívar arrived in this valley in August 1824, already Supreme Dictator of Peru. During his stay, he rewarded many heroes and gave recognition to the patriotic soldiers, who helped achieve the independence of the different South American states. He also expelled the Franciscan friars from the convent of Ocopa from the region, considering them "recalcitrant royalists".
Republican era
During the war for independence, Huancayo was liberated on 20 November 1820. Construction on the cathedral commenced in 1831. The accord was made law in Huancayo in 1854, when Peru officially ended slavery. There is a statue in the Plaza Constitución commemorating this.In the 1980s, Huancayo, like the entire central region of the country, was a center of anti-subversive struggle against the terrorist organizations of the Shining Path and the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. In the city, there were constant clashes between the National Police of Peru, the Peruvian Armed Forces and these two factions, which even confronted each other. The east of the city was under the control of Sendero while the west of the city was under the control of the MRTA. Among the most notorious attacks during this time was the assassination of the acting mayor Saúl Muñoz Menacho on July 24, 1984 by former Mayor Félix Ortega Arce on March 29, 1987 and the assassination attempt on January 22, 1989, against the then acting mayor, Ricardo Bohórquez Hernández.
In 1988, the leader of the MRTA, Víctor Polay Campos, was captured in the "Plaza Huamanmarca". Starting in 1992, as in the rest of the country, the Peruvian National Police and the Armed Forces managed to dismantle the subversive movement. Finally, on July 14, 1999, the last leader of the Shining Path, Oscar Ramírez Durand, alias Feliciano, was captured in the town of Cochas, an annex of the district of El Tambo.
Present
Today, in addition to its importance as a center of commerce, Huancayo is known for the crafts and the many festivals of the surrounding towns. Having rapidly expanded in recent decades, it has few remaining colonial buildings. Currently, the cityscape is dominated by modern construction.The city's rise began with the construction of a central railway Callao-La Oroya in 1908 and later extended from Lima to Huancayo in the early 1930s. The railway connection between Lima and Huancayo, introduced new ways of transporting goods. The railway's new avenues for transport contributed to the city's economic and population growth. Population growth was mostly present in Tambo and Chilica, two suburban districts near the highways. Furthermore, population growth between 1981 and 2007 was a result of in-migration due to terrorist attacks of Sendero Luminoso. People from highlands and amazonian lowlands sought refuge in Andean cities such as Huancayo.
Geography
Location
Huancayo is located in the Huancayo Province, serving as the province's capital. Situated in the Mantaro Valley at an altitude of 3,271 meters, it belongs to the Quechua region. Depending on delimitation, the agglomeration has a population between 340,000 and 380,000 and is the fifth most populous city of the country. Huancayo is the cultural and commercial center of the whole central Peruvian Andes area. Huancayo Metropolitano is made up of seven districts that form the urban center of the Junín region. This region is considered central Peru's economic and social hub.Climate
Huancayo has a subtropical highland climate characterized by mild days, cold nights, and distinct wet and dry seasons.The total annual precipitation is 660 millimeters. Huancayo receives the majority of its precipitation during the wet season, which spans from November to March. The dry season, from May to September, sees significantly reduced precipitation, with June and July being the driest months, receiving only around 5 mm of precipitation.
Daytime temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with all months having average high temperatures close to. The dry season has significantly colder nights than the wet season, with temperatures regularly dropping to freezing, while low temperatures average above during the wet season.