Huancayo (; in qu, label=

Wanka Quechua Wanka Quechua is a variety of the Quechua language, spoken in the southern part of Peruvian region of Junín by the Huancas. Wanka Quechua belongs to Quechua I, like Ancash Quechua. It has about 300,000 speakers and three main dialects: Wayll ...

, Wankayuq , '(place) with a (sacred) rock') is the capital of

Junín Region Junín may refer to: Places Argentina *Junín Partido ** Junín, Buenos Aires *** Junín Airport * Junín Department, Mendoza ** Junín, Mendoza * Junín Department, San Luis *Junín de los Andes, Neuquén Colombia *Junín, Cundinamarca *Jun� ...

, in the central highlands of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Location

Huancayo is located in Huancayo Province, of which it is also the capital. Situated in the

Mantaro Valley The Mantaro Valley, also known as Jauja Valley, is a fluvial inter-Andean valley of Junin region, east of Lima, the capital of Peru. The Mantaro River flows through the fertile valley which produces potatoes, maize, and vegetables among othe ...

at an altitude of 3,271 meters, it belongs to the

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

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 The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

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.

Historical overview

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 The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

leader Pachacutec in 1460 and the region was incorporated into the

Inca empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

. It subsequently became a notable stopping point along the Inca '' Camino Real''.

Colonial era

After the Spanish colonization in 1534, Huancayo was overshadowed by

Jauja Jauja (Shawsha Wanka Quechua: Sausa, Shawsha or Shausha, formerly in Spanish Xauxa, with pronunciation of "x" as "sh") is a city and capital of Jauja Province in Peru. It is situated in the fertile Mantaro Valley, to the northwest of Huancayo ( ...

, a provisional capital of Peru, until

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

took over that role, as established by the conquistador

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...

. In 1570, the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

Francisco de Toledo Francisco Álvarez de Toledo ( Oropesa, 10 July 1515 – Escalona, 21 April 1582), also known as ''The Viceroyal Solon'', was an aristocrat and soldier of the Kingdom of Spain and the fifth Viceroy of Peru. Often regarded as the "best of P ...

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 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constituti ...

, changing the name of "Plaza del Comercio" to "Plaza de la Constitución".

Republican era

During the war for independence, Huancayo was liberated on 20 November 1820. Construction on the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

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.

Recent situation

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 refugee in Andean cities such as Huancayo.

Demographics

According to the National Census of 2007,Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática
''Perfil Sociodemográfico del Perú''
pp. 29–30, 32, 34. the three main districts of Huancayo have a total population of about 340,000. However, the continuous settlement area have already reached periurban districts, resulting in the agglomeration's population to be at least 380,000 people.

Amerindian The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...

and

Mestizos (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...

(Amerindian and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

ancestry) are the two largest ethnic groups in the city. Asian (mainly descendants of Japanese and Chinese immigrants) and European descendants are important minority groups.

Transport

Huancayo has transportation connections by road and rail. The Francisco Carle Airport at Jauja offers daily connections to Lima and is located 45 minutes via car from Huancayo. Current airlines include LATAM Peru, LC Peru, and Peruvian Airlines. To travel by road, the Carretera Central links Huancayo with La Oroya and Lima, which generally takes 7 to 8 hours. Multiple bus carriers operate between Lima and Huancayo daily. The Ferrocarril Central Andino enables transport by rail. Huancayo was a

break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...

from gauge to gauge for the extension to

Huancavelica Huancavelica () or Wankawillka in Quechua is a city in Peru. It is the capital of the department of Huancavelica and according to the 2017 census had a population of 49,570 people. The city was established on August 5, 1572 by the Viceroy ...

. In 2009, this line was being standardised. There was a plan Metro Wanka to use the railway line as a local metro however this never came to fruition.

Education

Local universities

* Universidad Nacional del Centro del Peru (UNCP) * Universidad Peruana Los Andes (UPLA) * Universidad Continental (UC) * Universidad Franklin Roosevelt (UFR)

Branches of other Peruvian universities

* Universidad Alas Peruanas (UAP) * Universidad Los Angeles de Chimbote (ULADECH) *

Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...

(UNMSM) * Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión (UNDAC) * Universidad de Huanuco (UDH)

Language institutes

Instituto Cultural Peruano Británico
* Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano - Región Centro (ICPNA) * Alianza Francesa de Huancayo (French Alliance, AF)

Notable people

* Damaris Mallma Porras (1986- ), Peruvian folk singer * Josué Sánchez (1945- ), painter *

Rodolfo Cerrón Palomino Rodolfo Cerrón Palomino (born February 10, 1940 in Huancayo, Peru) is a Peruvian linguist who has crucially contributed to the investigation and development of the Quechuan languages. He has also made outstanding contributions to the study of t ...

(1940- ), linguist * Víctor Alberto Gil Mallma (1930–1975), musician * Juan Parra del Riego (1894–1925), poet * Enrique Bernardo (1980–), tenor and pianist

References

External links

*
Official Portal Huancayo
*
Official Municipal website
{{Authority control Populated places in the Junín Region Cities in Peru 1572 establishments in the Spanish Empire Regional capital cities in Peru