Information about the city Abancay
Abancay is a city in southern-central Peru. It is the capital of both the Apurímac Region and the Abancay Province.
Abancay is located at an elevation of 2,377 metres (7,799 ft) above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes, above the Pachachaca River, and straddles the Marino River. Because of its dry mountain[clarification needed] and famous year-round warm weather it is known as "The Eternal Springtime Valley". The nearest cities are Cusco, Chalhuanca and Andahuaylas. Abancay is located at the junction of two important Peruvian roads: the Caminos del Inca Road, an old road dating from Incan times, between the cities of Nazca and Cusco, and the Via de los Libertadores, connecting Ayacucho and Cusco.
Abancay was already a populated area before the arrival of the Incas. It was the frontier of the Quechua-Inca cultural influence area of the Chancas, an ethnic native group of Peru. Its name comes from a flower native to the region called amankay. When the Spanish arrived, they transliterated the word and named the city Abancay, Villa de los Reyes ("Abancay, Village of the Kings"), which was later reduced to Abancay, its current name. Abancay was the location of the Battle of Abancay between the forces of the Conquistadores Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro. Abancay was mentioned in the first Cronicas (Pedro Cieza de León) as an encomienda dedicated to the cultivation of sugar cane for the production of aguardiente.
There is a traditional tale about the foundation of the city recorded by Guillermo Vidalegut, a local journalist, in his book "Alma y Rostro de Abancay", who, inspired by Ricardo Palma's Tradiciones Peruanas, gathered local traditional stories. As the story goes, during colonial times, the town was located above the valley, in one of the skirts of the Ampay mountain, in a place which is now known as Ccorhuani. One day, the statue of the Virgin Mary known as Our Lady of the Rosary, Patroness of the village, mysteriously disappeared from the local Church. The people, fearing robbery and claiming sacrilege, searched day and night until a shepherd found the statue standing above an immense boulder by the valley. The people believed that the thieves had left the statue in fear of being discovered by the search parties. The statue was returned in a procession back into town. A few weeks later, the same disappearance occurred again and another search ensued. The statue was again found in the same spot where it was found before. Lo and behold, the disappearance happened a third time. The people never understood why or how this was happening. Finally, it was suggested that maybe the statue was asking for a shrine in the valley at the location where it was being found. The town then built a small Chapel there, and it became a place of constant visits by the people. Before long, it became the center of activity, and the entire town was moved to where is located today. The statue of Our Lady of the Rosary still sits above the immense boulder which is located on the right side of the Cathedral.
Information about the city Recuay
Recuay is a town in the Ancash Region, Peru. It is located at the border of the Santa River, 3422 msnm, and it the capital of the Recuay Province. it was created by law 11326 on April 14, 1950.
Recuay maintains its colonial style up to now, with its old casonas and simple buildings, made of mud walls and tiles roofs. Its main square has a classic fountain in the middle, surrounded with grills. From there the majestic 'hill of Jerusalem' is observed and the eucalyptuses and cypresses that adorn this city can also be admired.
It possesses the mineral waters and thermal springs of Quñuqqucha, Uqhuschaka, Pachaqutu, Pumapampa, Burgos and Utuco. The lakes named Qiruqucha and Quñuqqucha are located inside the limits of the province, as well as the magnificent Puya Raimondi forest - taking the detour towards Carpa - and the San Francisco cave, a geologic formation of volcanic rock with beautiful stalactites.
There is also another unpaved highway that joins Recuay with Aija, the homeland of the scientist Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo. It is necessary to climb the Cordillera Negra which crosses Wank'ap'iti at 4,000 msnm, and descend towards the city of Aija.
At 25 km from Recuay, penetrating the Callejón de Huaylas, Huaraz, the capital of the Ancash Region, is located. On both sides of the paved highway towards Huaraz, a big variety of typical sceneries are repeated tirelessly. From Puente Bedoya (Bedoya bridge) (km 183) starts, on the right hand, a road towards Olleros and Waripampa (Huaripampa), and the more and more journeyed walk towards Chavín
