Huancayo

Huancayo is a Peruvian city, capital of the district and province of the same name, and at the same time of the department of Junín. It was founded as an Indian town under the name of Santísima Trinidad de Huancayo, on June 1, 1572, by Jerónimo de Silva. It is located in the Mantaro valley and is crossed by the Shullcas, Chilca and Mantaro rivers. It is part of the list of the highest cities in Peru, and its main square is 3,249 meters above sea level. no. m. As of the year 2020, the city of Huancayo is the sixth most populous city in the country with a population of 400,271 inhabitants, according to the INEI. It is considered the economic and social center of central Peru.

The area was inhabited by the Huancas around 500 B.C. C., who 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 crosses the city, which today is called Calle Real. Upon the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, the Huancas became faithful and staunch allies, they participated in the capture of Cusco and the battles against the Incas of Vilcabamba. The current coat of arms of Huancayo represents the support given to the conquerors.

Etymology

The voice Wankayuq is made up of the root wanka ('stone') and the derivative suffix -yuq ('the one who has'), common morpheme in other toponymies 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 said city that indicated that in the location of the current Huamanmarca square, there was an oval stone of considerable dimensions at the beginning of the population. Currently there is no such rock or indications of its location.

History

Pileta de la Plaza de la Constitución.

Plaza de la Constitución.

Church of the Immaculate

La Merced Chapel

Huancayo in the first half of the centuryXX..

The International Hotel, then called Tivoli and Palermo, was the first hotel in Huancayo.

Hotel de Turistas de Huancayo.

Pre-Hispanic period

The area was once inhabited by the Wanka nation around 1200 B.C. C. approximately, who had a reputation for seasoned and indomitable warriors. Their main activity was agriculture. The Wankas were a nation whose antiquity is unknown. It developed in the central and southern areas of the Mantaro Valley, especially on the eastern side of the Mantaro River, and in the northwestern area (current districts of Ahuac and Huáchac) where the ruins of a populated center and fortress are located on the summit of the Watury hill. Subsequently, the period of isolation and growth of this town began. The archaeological remains of Cotocoto (present-day Chilca district) and Ocopilla (present-day eastern part of the Huancayo district) attest to that period.

It was the Wari culture, whose main center is located in what is today the department of Ayacucho, the first to begin its expansion to the north around the 6th century. The towns of the central area of the valley were part of what became known as the Wari empire. The remains of the huari town of Huarivilca are from that time. The fall of this empire was followed by the rise of another culture, the Inca culture.

Around 1460, under the rule of the Inca Pachacútec, the Incas took control of the region and annexed it to their empire. The resistance of the wankas, as well as the policy of culturization of the Incas (based on the introduction of their religion and their language), caused that in this area there was no peaceful coexistence but rather it was an area of constant convulsion. and repression by the cusqueños. A certain chronicle deals with a defeat of a resistance of the wankas of the center, to which the Inca ordered the mutilation of the arms of more than 600 wanka warriors as a sign of dominance. However, despite the resistance of the Watury fortress, 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.

Oral tradition indicates that there was an Inca Tambo (inn on the Quapaq Ñan route), located one day from the Jauja road to the south. In front of said tambo, on the bank of the so-called Florido river (today intubated) there was an oval-shaped rock of considerable dimensions used as a shrine that would be the starting point from where the city of Huancayo developed.

Colonial period and founding of the city

During the colonization, the Spanish forces commanded by Francisco Pizarro began their journey towards the city of Cusco (capital of the Inca empire) through the Andes. On that trip the founding of the city of Jauja and its temporary establishment as the first capital of the new territory took place. This was done for political purposes to have alliances with local tribes. At that time there was an agreement between the conquerors and the indigenous xauxas to achieve the defeat of the Inca forces that defended the center and south of the Mantaro Valley. Proof of this collaboration is the current coat of arms of Huancayo, which was granted by King Felipe II himself, despite the fact that at that time, Huancayo did not even exist as a village. The natives helped the conquering forces in exchange for a coat of arms.

On June 1, 1572, Huancayo was founded not as a city but as an "Pueblo de Indios" by Jerónimo de Silva and advocated (dedicated) to the Holy Trinity, taking the name of "Santísima Trinidad de Huancayo". After that, and despite the fact that it continued to be a tambo or inn for travelers, Viceroy Francisco de Toledo made it the center of an Encomienda with various ayllus distributed around it: ayllu Huamanmarca, Cajas, Tambo, Auquimarca, Hualahoyo, Plateros and another further. Since those times, the city was formed around the Inca trail, a situation that remains today where this road is currently Calle Real that crosses the city from north to south and is the center of its organization and life.

On November 8, 1580, construction began on a small chapel called "Santísima Trinidad de Huamanmarca" (in replacement of the rock that served as a shrine). This church was completed in the year 1619 but there are no remains of it. Earthquakes and the passage of time wreaked serious havoc on its structure. By the year 1861 it was totally in ruins and finally collapsed with the earthquake in 1876, the paintings were taken to the Chapel of "La Merced", located 500 meters further north, birth records are preserved since 1712, intact in the parish archives.

In 1616 the chronicler Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala passed through Huancayo, he reported that he had found a tambo there and houses of Spaniards dedicated to herding.

The main temple (current Huancayo Cathedral) 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 was formerly called Plaza del Comercio and is now called Plaza Constitución in homage to the oath which was held in Huancayo in 1813 for the signing of the Liberal Constitution of Cádiz of 1812. This act was commemorated on a plaque that was installed on the front of a building built at the end of the 18th century that would later be the first hotel in the city and which was declared a Historical Monument in 1989.

War of Independence

During the independence stage, the royalist colonel Marcelo Granados (Governor of Huancayo) joined the patriots and Huancayo proclaimed and swore its national independence on November 20, 1820 (8 months before the proclamation of independence by General José de San Martín). On his way to take the capital of the viceroyalty from the Andes, General Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales and his army passed through the valley towards Pasco. In Huancayo he restocked and continued his journey north. After the departure of that contingent, the city was left unprotected. The royalist brigadier Mariano Ricafort advanced towards the city. General San Martín sent Sergeant Major José Félix Aldao to lead the militia and the montoneras that had gathered in Huánuco, men from different places in the province of Tarma joined, led by Governor Francisco de Paula Otero.

The number of militiamen totaled around 5,000 between Huanca, Creole and mestizo natives, other sources indicate that there were 2,000 militiamen and 10,000 or 12,000 indigenous people in montoneras. Under these conditions, on December 29, 1820, the site occurred known as Azapampa (located south of the city in the current district of Chilca), the confrontation against the heavily armed royalist army that also had cavalry and artillery. The result of this confrontation was tragic for the independentistas, a ruthless carnage broke out from which few militiamen fled.

After the independence was obtained, the Provisional Governor José de Torre Tagle conferred on Huancayo the Title of «Incontestable City», on March 19, 1822, ratifying this title by the provisional government of José de La Mar on March 5 February 1828.

General Simón Bolívar arrived in this valley in August 1824, already being Supreme Dictator of Peru. During his stay, he awards many heroes and gives recognition to the patriotic soldiers, who helped the total independence of the different South American states. He also expels the Franciscan friars from the Ocopa convent from the region because he considers them "recalcitrant royalists".

Republican period, 19th century

After the battle of Yungay, where the Peruvian-Chilean expedition to the Peru-Bolivian Confederation won, during the management of the president of Peru, Agustín Gamarra, the general congress of Huancayo was held, having its meetings as the venue the Chapel of La Merced, elaborated and approved the Political Constitution of 1839. In those years, Huancayo was described as a wide and long main street, where the fair was held, famous to this day, which was surrounded by good houses and shops. Indeed, the existence of the fair and its importance with the commercial character of the city and with the importance of the Camino Real as the urban axis of the city has been given since its very foundation.

In 1847, a process began to create establishments to meet the needs of the community with the creation that year of the Huancayo Charitable Society and the foundation of what was then called Hospital San Ramón (current Hospital Docente Materno Infantil & #34;El Carmen") that would be the first institution of this nature in the city.

On October 31, 1854, Marshal Ramón Castilla, in the midst of the caudillista confrontations that characterized the first decades of the new Republic, confronted José Rufino Echenique, defeating him in the battle of Cullcos hill (lomo de animal) currently called "Cerrito de la Libertad" located east of the city. Castilla chose the city of Huancayo as his seat of government, from which he decreed one of his most famous dispositions. On December 3, 1854, in a building located in the old Plaza del Comercio (today "Plaza Constitución" at the corner of Real and Giráldez streets, the nerve center of the city) he decreed the abolition of slavery. in Peru as well as the end of the indigenous tribute. This property was declared a National Monument by Law No. 12064. However, due to an expansion of the park, it was demolished in 1967.

By 1861, the city of Huancayo was divided into five quarters and comprised 132 blocks, three squares (Plaza Constitución, Plaza Huamanmarca and the Plaza de Toros adjoining the latter and where the Municipal Coliseum stands today), two churches (Church of the Santísima Trinidad, already demolished, and the main church that is now the cathedral) and a chapel (La Merced chapel). On November 16, 1864, during the government of President Juan Antonio Pezet, who assumed the presidency when Miguel de San Román died; and by impulse of the jaujino deputy José Jacinto Ibarra, the creation of the province of Huancayo was decreed, separating these territories from the province of Jauja to which they belonged until that moment. Likewise, the city of the hegemony of the city of Jauja was arranged and providing that the city of Huancayo be the capital of said province. By 1876, after the first population census carried out in Huancayo, it was determined that the province had 60,236 inhabitants.

Republican era, 20th century

In 1908 the La Oroya-Huancayo section was completed and the Central Railway arrived in the city, connecting it directly with the city of Lima, and a year later urban planning work began by paving the Huamanmarca square. In 1928 the construction of the first public services building that would be the Central Market of Huancayo (current Municipal Coliseum) was completed, the same one that served in that function for more than 40 years. On January 15, 1931 according to decree of Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro, Huancayo was named capital of the department of Junín, replacing the city of Cerro de Pasco, which in 1944 would be the capital of the department of Pasco created that same year. This change, as indicated by the legal provision that establishes it, was due to the fact that the geographical conditions of Cerro de Pasco prevented officials from being able to fully exercise their functions due to the height of it, which prevented the establishment of educational centers tion superior in addition that it was detrimental to children. At the same time, the choice of Huancayo was justified by the fact that this city had better geographical conditions, but also that it was better communicated since the arrival of the central railway. This change generated the establishment in the city of government offices at the departmental level such as the Prefecture of the department and the Superior Court of Justice. Likewise, the departmental capital promoted Huancayo to become the most important city in the central region of the country, a condition that was consolidated during the century XX. In 1940 the population of the city grew to 137,932 inhabitants in the enclosure and 123,609 inhabitants in the rest of the province.

In 1963, during the first government of Fernando Belaúnde, Law No. 14700 was issued, promoted by the Aprista deputy Alfredo Sarmiento Espejo, which declared of national interest the carrying out of various works in the city of Huancayo and the department of Junín, creating for this specific taxes. As a consequence of this law, important works were built in Huancayo such as the Huancayo Civic Center located in Plaza Huamanmarca, the model and wholesale markets, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Huancayo stadium. Subsequently, a confusion was generated when authorship was granted to the senator for Junín Ramiro Prialé. In that same decade another urban transformation was carried out through the demolition of the entire block located on the south side of the Plaza Constitución to expand it to Avenida Giráldez.

In the 1980s, Huancayo, like the entire central region of the country, was a center for the anti-subversive struggle against the terrorist organizations Sendero Luminoso and the MRTA. In the city there were constant confrontations led by the Peruvian National Police, the Armed Forces and those two factions, the same ones that even faced 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 were the assassination of the acting mayor Saúl Muñoz Menacho on July 24, 1984, of the former mayor Félix Ortega Arce on March 29, 1987, and the attack against the then also acting mayor Ricardo Bohórquez Hernández on January 22, 1989.

In 1988, in the "Plaza Huamanmarca" the leader of the MRTA, Víctor Polay Campos. 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 Sendero Luminoso, Oscar Ramírez Durand, alias Feliciano, was captured in the town of Cochas, an annex to the El Tambo district.

Geography

The city of Huancayo is located in the central part of Peru, in the middle of the Andes mountain range. The mountain range shows, in this part, three well differentiated systems, a western, a central and an eastern mountain range. The city is located in the middle of a valley between the western and central mountain ranges. The Mantaro River is born in Lake Junín and runs several hundred kilometers to the Department of Huancavelica. It forms the Mantaro Valley that extends from the north of the city of Jauja to the district of Pucará in the province of Huancayo with a length of about sixty kilometers. This valley is the largest in the highlands of Peru and is one of the highest agricultural production in the country.

Location

The center of the city is located in the heart of the Mantaro valley, on the west bank of the river of the same name and its historic center is located between the basins of the Shullcas and Chilca rivers next to a small tributary called the Florido river and which Today he is intubated.

The conurbation that forms the city of Huancayo extends mainly over the territories of the three metropolitan districts: Huancayo, Chilca and El Tambo. However, the metropolitan area of the city extends to the north to the district of San Agustín de Cajas and to the south to the districts of Huancán and Sapallanga, which are in full development of the city and are semi-rural constituencies that welcome the population. immigrant from the southern departments of Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Apurímac and Cusco.^{[citation required]}. To the west, the conurbation crosses the Mantaro River and covers not only the district of Pilcomayo, but also the district of Huamancaca Chico, which now belongs to the province of Chupaca. To the east, the growth of the city finds a natural limit constituted by the hills of the central mountain range.

The city is completely crossed from north to south by Calle Real, the old Qhapaq Ñan, which is the main artery of the city and where a large part of the commercial movement of the city agglomerates.

Climate

Due to its latitude (12° LS), Huancayo should have a warm climate. However, the presence of the Andes Mountains and the altitude of the city (3,250 m.a.s.l.) cause great variations in the climate. Huancayo has a sub-humid but unstable temperate climate throughout the year, varying between 28ºC on the hottest days and -5ºC on the coldest nights. The great variation in temperatures means that only two seasons can be distinguished in the area, the rainy season from October to April (corresponding to a large part of spring and summer) and the dry season from May to September. The lowest temperatures are recorded in the early morning of the days of the months of June to August.

Annual rainfall is moderate, which contributes to the fertility of the Huanca Valley.

Average climate parameters of El Tambo
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	19	18	17	16	16	16	15	15	16	17	18	20	16.9
Average temperature (°C)	12.6	12.5	12.3	12.2	11.4	10.3	10.2	11.3	12.5	13.1	13.1	12.7	12
Temp. medium (°C)	9	9	9	7	5	2	3	2	5	6	8	10	6.3
Total precipitation (mm)	181	176	106	76	36	0.6	0.9	3.6	46	71	100	139	936.1
Source No. 1: SENAMHI (http://www.senamhi.gob.pe/include_mapas/_dat_esta_type.php?estations=000477)
Source No. 2: climate-data.org

Demographics

Urban population

According to the Huancayo Urban Development Plan 2015-2025, the "Central Metropolitan Area of the City of Huancayo" includes the urban area of the conurbation and the areas of direct influence of the districts of: San Agustín de Cajas, Pilcomayo, El Tambo, Huancayo, Chilca and Huancán. In other thematic contexts, districts such as Sapallanga, Sicaya and others are also included. According to the 2017 census, the 3 central districts housed 378,203 inhabitants in that year.

The City of Huancayo is made up of 3 districts.

According to the INEI, by the year 2020, the three districts that form the heart of the metropolitan area of the city of Huancayo have a population of 400,271 inhabitants.

Demographic evolution

In recent years there has been a phenomenon of massive immigration to the city. The consolidation of Huancayo as the most important metropolis in the center of the country has accelerated the arrival of migrants from nearby departments and even from farther ones such as Pasco, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Áncash, Cuzco and Apurímac. This phenomenon caused the population of the city to increase constantly.

The evolution of the population of Huancayo can be seen in the following graph:

Figure of the evolution of the population of Huancayo between 1972 and 2017
Sources: Population 1993, 2007, Population 2014 (estimated)

Urban growth

In recent years, Huancayo has experienced a real estate boom. According to information from the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation in November 2014, in Huancayo there was an offer of 21 real estate agencies including housing complexes, residential and multi-family buildings, urbanizations and condominiums, located mostly in the Huancayo district and El Tambo, and to a lesser extent number in Pilcomayo. In addition, the manager of Urban and Territorial Development of the Huanca commune, states that for 9 years Huancayo has been growing in a disorderly manner, because in 2006 the urban plan came into effect.

Politics

Provincial Government

The city, as the capital of the homonymous province, is governed by the Provincial Municipality of Huancayo, which has jurisdiction over the entire territory of the province. There is no authority restricted to the city. In this sense, the district municipalities of El Tambo, Pilcomayo, Huancán, Sapallanga, San Jerónimo, San Agustín, Sicaya and Chilca also have jurisdiction over issues related to their own districts.

Regional government

The city, as departmental capital, is the seat of the Regional Government of Junín. It also has a prefect with political powers at the departmental level. Finally, it is also the headquarters of the different regional directorates of the ministries that make up the public administration.

Judicial function

Huancayo is the headquarters of the Superior Court of Justice of Junín, the governing body of the Judicial District of Junín. According to the judicial organization of the country, in the territory of the city of Huancayo there are eight justices of the peace (two belonging to the district of El Tambo and one to San Jerónimo, four to the district of Huancayo, and one to Chilca), seventeen courts specialized (four family, five civil, seven criminal and one labor) and six superior chambers (three criminal and three mixed).

Health

In Huancayo there are public hospitals that include the Daniel Alcides Carrión Regional Clinical-Surgical Teaching Hospital and the Maternal-Infant Regional Teaching Hospital "El Carmen", which are located throughout the metropolitan area of the city. Also, in the city is the National Hospital "Ramiro Prialé-Prialé" Level IV, belonging to the EsSalud social security.

Education and research

The city of Huancayo has several educational institutions of all levels of education, from initial education to postgraduate programs.

Primary and secondary education

In this sense, in the city there are a total of 248 initial education centers; of which 121 are located in the El Tambo district (34 public and 87 private), 96 in the Huancayo district and 31 in the Chilca district (10 public and 21 private). At the primary level there are 234 educational centers in the city; of which 107 are located in the El Tambo district (32 public and 75 private), 100 are located in the Huancayo district (28 public and 72 private) and 27 in the Chilca district (9 public and 18 private).

Finally, in secondary education there are 127 educational centers in the city; of which 57 are located in the El Tambo district (17 public and 40 private), 58 are located in the Huancayo district (12 public and 46 private) and 12 are located in the Chilca district (2 public and 10 private).

Among the main secondary education centers in the city are the state schools Santa Isabel, María Inmaculada, Politécnico Regional Del Centro, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Nuestra Señora de Cocharcas, José Carlos Mariátegui, Ramiro Villaverde Lazo and Mariscal Castilla, and among the private ones are the schools: Colegio Andino, Ingeniería, Salesiano "Santa Rosa", Salesiano Técnico Don Bosco, Gelicich, María Auxiliadora, Claretian, San Juan Bosco, San Pio X, among others.

Higher Education

At the higher level, Huancayo hosts the following universities:

There are also 29 non-university higher institutes located in the city, of which 21 are located in the district of Huancayo (1 public and 20 private) and the remaining 8 in the district of El Tambo (all private).

Research centers

In the town of Huayao, district of Huáchac, province of Chupaca, 15 kilometers from the city of Huancayo is the Geophysical Institute of Peru. Also, in the district of El Tambo, within the urban area, there is a branch of the International Potato Center.

Religion

In 2018 Pope Francis appointed the Archbishop of Huancayo Pedro Barreto, as a cardinal of the Catholic Church in the Vatican, he was the first archbishop to be elected outside the capital city.

The majority of citizens declare themselves to be Catholic^{[citation required]}, with several traditional festivities around the Valley. It can be affirmed that in every month of the year there is a customary festival in Huancayo. These festivities are characterized by being linked mainly to a Catholic religious icon and by lasting at least three days.^{[citation required]} During the festivities, troupes are held through the streets of the city, occasionally taking place several of them at the same time in different parts of the city. All these comparsas are accompanied by bands of musicians that play the rhythms of the region.

As the most important Patronal Festival, it is considered the "Festivity in honor of the Holy Trinity"^{[citation required], in which various representative dances of the Mantaro Valley participate, highlighting the Negrería Wanka and the Morenada. Other numerous festivals are the festival of the Lord of Miracles of Huancayo, which goes through the streets of the city in procession in October under the command of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles; the festival in honor of María Auxiliadora held in May with a novena and procession through the streets of the Old Town, which is in charge of the Salesian priests.}

Gastronomy

Potatoes to huancaine.

Like other cities in Peru, Huancayo has a diversity of dishes, drinks and pastries thanks to its location in the fertile valley of the Mantaro River.

• Pachamanca (original plate of Huancayo)
• Green soup (the boiled herbs in the broth, in Cerro de Pasco is served outside the dish)
• Cuy Picnte
• Colored chicharron
• Mondongo
• Carnero al Palo
• Pope to Huancaine
• Huallpa Chupe
• Trout ceviche
• Yuyo or Shita
• Pumpkin Mazamorra

Tourism

Its main attractions are the work of its artisans and recreational landscape tourism, weekly fairs, etc.

Tourist attractions of the city

Huancayo Cathedral.

• Huancayo Cathedral. This temple, known in its beginnings as the Matrix Temple, was built in a land that donated remarkable neighbors.
• La Merced Chapel. Considered National Historical Monument, for being one of the few remains of the colony that is preserved. The Constituent Congress met in 1839. Inside you can see a large collection of paintings from the school.
• Freedom Cerrito. A natural viewpoint from where you have a panoramic view of the city. He's got a refraction site zoo.
• Torre Torre. A mile from the Freedom Cerrito. Geological set of huge clay earth towers, shaped by wind and rain action.
• Feria Dominical de Huancayo. Located in Huancavelica Avenue, which is more than two kilometres long, artisanal, industrial and agricultural products are proposed.
• Huanca Identity Park. Attractive park with Wanka Culture motifs.
• Archaeological remains of Huarivilca.
• Salesian Museum Vicente Rasetto. Museum of natural and mineral history of the region and the country, located at the Colegio Salesiano Santa Rosa.
• The Colombina. Hacienda club located south of Huancayo.

Tourist attractions near the city

It can be taken as a starting point to visit the Ocopa Convent, the Huaytapallana Mountain Range, the Golden Forest, the Paca Lagoon, the Ingenio Trout Hatchery and the Ñahuimpuquio Lagoon, all located between 5 and 50 km from the city of Huancayo.

Tourist infrastructure

Due to the influx of tourists, Huancayo and the Mantaro Valley have improved their hotel infrastructure, complete with numerous hostels, inns, villas and lodgings.

Arts and culture

Museums

• Salesian Museum Vicente Rasetto of the Salesian College «Santa Rosa»
• Museum of Memory
• Museum and archaeological remains of Huarihuilca
• Anthropological Museum of Andean Culture - UNCP
• Catalina Huanca Anthropological Museum

Music

Dámaris is one of the exponents of Andean culture with Latin American music

Huaylarsh, folklore Huanca

Huayno, folklore Huancahíno

The Mantaro Valley is a region of multiple dances and customs, of which the autochthonous expression is expressed in dances and music such as the Huaconada, the Auquis, the mulizas, the huaynos and the Huaylarsh was modern that was the creation of the composer Zenobio Dagha Sapaico (originally from the town of Chupuro), and other renowned musicians, singers and composers are Carlos Baquerizo Castro (from Sicaya), Jesús Zedano, Flor Pucarina, Picaflor de los Andes and other interpreters not born in the Huanca land, such as Flor de la Oroya (from Ayacucho), the Huanca Hunter (from Cajamarca), Eusebio Chato Grados (from Pasco), Amanda Portales (from Lima), Irene del Centro (from Yauyos).

Since 2021, Huancayo is part of the Unesco Network of Creative Cities, in the music category.

International Book Fair

The Huancayo International Book Fair has been held every year since 2009.

Plastic arts

The work of the painter from Huanca, Guillermo Guzmán Manzaneda, stands out.

Historical monument of Peru

On April 26, 1989, Chief Resolution No. 009-89-INC/J was published in the Official Gazette El Peruano, declaring the Huancayo Monument Zone a National Historic Monument. This zone is an approximate area of 97 hectares between Huancavelica avenue to the west, Ayacucho street to the north, Pachitea street to the east and Angaraes street to the south.

Likewise, within the urban area there are various buildings that were declared as monuments due to their historical and cultural importance in the life of Peru. Some, such as the house where the abolition of slavery was decreed, were demolished despite having said qualification, but the vast majority are still standing, although in a state of disrepair. Among these buildings, the Church of La Merced stands out, where the Constitution of 1839 was signed, the building of the old Hotel Palermo in the Plaza Constitución, or the houses of the poet Juan Parra del Riego and the painter Guillermo Guzmán Manzaneda.

Sports

Football

Like the rest of the country, the most practiced sport in the city of Huancayo is soccer. Several minor league championships as well as intercollegiate are organized during the year. The most traditional team in the city is Deportivo Junín, the same one that was dissolved in 1991 after it was discovered that they simulated several matches for the professional championship that year, currently competing in the Copa Perú. Another historical team is the Huancayo Sporting Club, which was recognized on May 22, 1911 as Wankca Sports Heritage by the Congress of the Republic of Peru.^{[< i>citation required]}

Since 2009, Huancayo has a team participating in the first division. Sport Huancayo, who had won the Copa Perú the previous season, was promoted to the highest category of Peruvian soccer.

Football Clubs
Equipment	Foundation	Stadium	League
Junín	27 November 1962	Huancayo Stadium	Copa Perú
Huancayo Sporting Club	22 May 1911	Huancayo Stadium	Copa Perú
Ramiro Villaverde	22 July 1970	Huancayo Stadium	Copa Perú
Sport Huancayo	07 February 2007	Huancayo Stadium	First Division
Trilce International	2013	Huancayo Stadium	Copa Perú

Other sports

Huancayo is characterized by its large number of long-distance runners (athletes in long-distance races such as marathons, semi-marathons) having had several national champion athletes who represented Peru. in several Olympic Games.

Estadio Huancayo annually hosts the arrival of the UPLA International Marathon and the Los Andes Marathon. The start is in the province of Jauja (45 km north of of the city) and the arrival is the stadium located in the heart of the city of Huancayo. This competition is the most important sporting event that takes place in the city.

Sports venues

• The main sports venue for the practice of sport is Huancayo Stadium, owned by the Peruvian Sports Institute (IPD), is the enclosure where the hurricane teams play their local games. It was opened in 1962 and has a capacity for 20,000 spectators.
• Another scenario is the Mariscal Castilla Stadium with capacity for 7000 spectators, the enclosure is used by clubs participating in the Peruvian Cup.
• The Wanka Colosseum is for volleyball, basketball, etc.

Transportation

Transportation within the city is given only by automobiles. The number of minibuses is reduced since the bulk of the transport is carried out by means of "combi" and the colectivos, lines of automobiles with five seats (counting the driver's seat) that receive four passengers. There are also taxis registered by the Municipality. Almost the entire transport is from north to south (from the District of Huancan to San Agustín de Cajas and El Tambo), in addition to the routes from east to west (Uñas, Palián, San Carlos, Pilcomayo and Chupaca). The 510-meter-long Comuneros I was recently inaugurated through Avenida Leoncio Prado de Chilca connecting to the District of Huamancaca

Unlike several inland cities that are warmer (Iquitos, Pucallpa) or colder (Juliaca, Puno) than Huancayo, mototaxis are rarely used, mainly because these vehicles are very unsafe for city traffic.

Highways

Located just under 300 kilometers from the city of Lima, Huancayo is connected to that city by the Central Highway, the main penetration route into the center of the country that connects the departments of Lima, Junín, Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Pasco, Huanuco, San Martin and Ucayali. The journey is made in a period of between five and eight hours, depending on weather conditions. Huancayo is a mandatory crossing point for vehicles traveling to Huancavelica. From San Vicente de Cañete you can get there by Yauyos

Railway

The Central Railroad, Huancayo-La Oroya-Lima, and La Oroya-Cerro de Pasco bifurcation; It reached Huancayo in 1908 and was the highest in the world until 2006 (now it is the second).

Since the 1990s, rail travel has been limited to mining only. However, in recent years, certain tourist trips using the railway have been scheduled with great intervals. There is an intention to reactivate this channel of communication. However, it is known to be unprofitable due to the geography, especially the difficult passage of the Andes which makes the 300 kilometer journey currently take about 12 hours.

The route that still maintains regular trips is the Ferrocarril Huancayo-Huancavelica.

Air transportation

45 km to the north, the Francisco Carlé Airport located in the city of Jauja, receives daily flights from LATAM Peru with flights to Lima, which is, until February 2022, its only destination. The other closest airport is the Jorge Chávez International Airport, located 300 kilometers away in Callao, which is the country's main air terminal.

Twinned cities

• Sweetwater (Florida), United States, (since 2008).
• Cochabamba, Bolivia, (since 2016).
• Guadalajara, Mexico
• London, United Kingdom
• Lima, Peru
• Cajamarca Peru
• Turin Italy
• San José, Costa Rica
• Auckland,New Zealand
• Santiago, Chile
• El Paso Estados Unidos
• Sacramento United States
• Calgary, Canada