UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru

UNESCO's Description

Situated in the Peruvian Andes, Cuzco developed, under the Inca ruler Pachacutec, into a complex urban centre with distinct religious and administrative functions. It was surrounded by clearly delineated areas for agricultural, artisan and industrial production. When the Spaniards conquered it in the 16th century, they preserved the basic structure but built Baroque churches and palaces over the ruins of the Inca city.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The city was originally the site of the Killke culture, who occupied it between 900 and 1200 AD. It afterwards served as the capital and namesake of the Kingdom of Cuzco, which in turn was replaced by the Inca Empire, who also established the city as the empire's capital. During the Inca Civil War, the city was controlled by Huáscar until its capture by Atahualpa's forces following the Battle of Quipaipán in 1532. Shortly after, the city was captured by the Spanish Empire, who demolished a number of already existing buildings and structures, using them as the bases for new constructions and thus leading to a mixture of Incan and Spanish architecture, such as in the neighbourhoods of Santa Clara and San Blas, while preserving the original spatial organisation of the city.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q28502997 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

While most eastern slopes of the Andes incline more or less directly toward the lowlands, the area between Paucartambo and the Ene and Apurímac rivers is a great fan of mountain ridges separated by deep valleys. Machu Picchu, one of these ridges, overlooks the deep Urubamba Valley framed by the imposing Vilcanota and Vilcabamba Ranges (both with peaks above 5,700 meters above sea level).

From the air, the Sanctuary appears as a large book opened in half, with the turbulent Urubamba River in its central part and two major mountain chains plunging on both sides of a deep valley covered by vegetation.

Climate

Due to its geographic and topographic characteristics, the Machu Picchu Sanctuary presents climatic variations, with peaks reaching 6,270 meters above sea level where temperatures are extremely cold and lower areas around 2,000 meters above sea level with milder temperatures. Meteorological satellite data shows that mountain ridges offer efficient protection against the impact of cold polar winds ("friajes"). These winds, frequent as brief periods of cold winter in the southern tropics, with hail and snow on the Andean slopes, may have been a major factor in changing vegetation in South America during glacial periods. Across the tropical Andes, higher concentrations of endemic bird species correspond to ecologically predictable locations.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q3331815 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The archaeological site of Chavin gave its name to the culture that developed between 1500 and 300 B.C. in this high valley of the Peruvian Andes. This former place of worship is one of the earliest and best-known pre-Columbian sites. Its appearance is striking, with the complex of terraces and squares, surrounded by structures of dressed stone, and the mainly zoomorphic ornamentation.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Site description

The Chavín civilization was centered on the site of Chavín de Huántar, the religious center of the Chavín people and the political capital. The temple is a massive flat-topped pyramid surrounded by lower platforms. It is a U-shaped plaza with a sunken circular court in the center. The inside of the temple walls are decorated with sculptures and carvings. During its heyday, Chavín de Huántar was used as a religious center for ceremonies and events, perhaps a home for an oracle. The site contains a number of major structures, including Temples A, B, C and D, and areas and buildings designated as the Major Plaza, the Circular Plaza, the Old Temple and New Temple. But the latter two designations are no longer accurate in light of recent research advances.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q732554 (CC0).

Visiting Chavin de Huantar

Chavín de Huántar is a town and archaeological site from the pre-Incan Chavin culture of around 900 BC containing ruins and other artefacts. The site in the Central Andes of Peru is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Chavín de Huántar (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Situated in the Cordillera Blanca, the world's highest tropical mountain range, Mount Huascarán rises to 6,768 m above sea-level. The deep ravines watered by numerous torrents, the glacial lakes and the variety of the vegetation make it a site of spectacular beauty. It is the home of such species as the spectacled bear and the Andean condor.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Huascarán National Park protects the Cordillera Blanca, which is the world's highest tropical mountain range. Located in the central Peruvian Andes, the park's 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) cover an elevational range from around 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) to the several snow-capped peaks above 6,000 meters (20,000 ft). Among those peaks are Huascarán (Peru's highest at 6,768 meters (22,205 ft)), Huandoy, Copa, Huantsán and many others.

Other geographical features inside the park include: U-shaped valleys, 660 tropical glaciers (the largest glaciated area in the tropics), 300 glacial lakes and high plateaus intersected by ravines with torrential creeks.

Climate

The climate in the park has two well defined seasons: a rainy season from December to March and a dry season from April to November. During the rainy season thunderstorms are frequent and the fields and mountain slopes are covered in many shades of green; however, the dry season brings sunshine almost every day and cloudless but cold nights. Daily temperatures in the rainy season can go from a maximum of 20 °C (68 °F) to a minimum of 5 °C (41 °F); while in the dry season the maximum can be 24 °C (75 °F) and the minimum 2 °C (36 °F).

Ecology

Being the highest tropical mountain range in the world, the Cordillera Blanca boasts a variety of climates from subalpine to alpine and tundra. The valleys and mountain slopes are covered with scattered high Andean forests and puna grassland.

More than 120 bird species have been reported in this area including the Andean condor, the torrent duck, the puna tinamou, the brown pintail, the Andean crested duck, the giant hummingbird, the yanavico, the white-tufted grebe, the giant coot, the chiguanco thrush and the Andean gull.

History

Official efforts to protect this area started in 1960, when Senator Augusto Guzmán Robles presented a bill to the Peruvian Congress for the creation of Huascarán National Park. In 1963, the Forestry and Hunting Service (Servicio Forestal y de Caza) presented a preliminary project for the delimitation of the Cordillera Blanca National Park, covering an area of 321,000 hectares (790,000 acres). On 18 February 1966, a government resolution prohibiting the logging and hunting of native species in the area of the Cordillera Blanca was issued. Later that year, the Patronage of Huascarán National Park was formed in Yungay.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q917369 (CC0).

Visiting Huascarán National Park

Huascarán National Park is in the Central Sierra region of Peru. It's inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It's one of the biggest mountain ranges in the world, the majority of its peaks measure around 6000 m above sea level (a.s.l.)

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Huascarán National Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

The Chimu Kingdom, with Chan Chan as its capital, reached its apogee in the 15th century, not long before falling to the Incas. The planning of this huge city, the largest in pre-Columbian America, reflects a strict political and social strategy, marked by the city's division into nine 'citadels' or 'palaces' forming autonomous units.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Chan Chan is believed to have been constructed around 850 AD by the Chimú. It was the Chimor empire capital city with an estimated population of 40,000–60,000 people.

After the Inca conquered the Chimú around 1470 AD, Chan Chan fell into decline. The Incas used a system called the "Mitma system of ethnic dispersion" which separated the Chimú civilians into places already recently conquered by the Inca. A little over 60 years later in 1535 AD, Francisco Pizarro founded the Spanish city of Trujillo which pushed Chan Chan further into the shadows. While no longer a teeming capital city, Chan Chan was still well known for its great riches and was consequently looted by the Spaniards.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q277540 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

This huge 1.5 million-ha park has successive tiers of vegetation rising from 150 to 4,200 m above sea-level. The tropical forest in the lower tiers is home to an unrivalled variety of animal and plant species. Some 850 species of birds have been identified and rare species such as the giant otter and the giant armadillo also find refuge there. Jaguars are often sighted in the park.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Manu National Park covers an area of 1,716,295.22 hectares (17,162.95 km2) which comprises mountainous areas (traversed by creeks and valleys) with elevations close to 4000 m above sea level and a portion of the Amazon basin plains.

The national park is divided in the following areas: the restricted use zone (with pristine forests and native communities, access is granted to researchers only); the reserved zone (for recreation and research); the recuperation zone (for the recovery of disturbed areas) and the cultural zone (for human settlement and most activities including nature tourism).

The 190 kilometres (120 mi) Manu road is the only link between the highlands of the park and the lowlands where the mouth of the Manu River is located.

Climate

Climate in the park is highly variable, with the amount of rain depending on the elevation. The southern section (mountainous) has an annual precipitation between 1500–2000 mm; while in the middle section it is between 3000–3500 mm and in the northwestern section the annual precipitation reaches 8000 mm or more. The less rainy season is from May to September, accompanied by lower temperatures.

In the park, the mean annual temperature in the lowland rainforest is 25.6 °C, while in the Andean zone it is 8 °C.

Ecology

Vegetation types inside the park include puna grassland (in areas over 4000 m), high Andean forests, cloud forests and lowland Amazon rainforest. This variety of vegetation types is represented in 162 families, 1191 genera and 4385 identified species of plants, with as much as 250 tree species in one hectare. A study found a total of 1108 species of trees inside the park, from several plots between the mountain tree line and the lowland forest.

History

Manu National Park was established by decree on 29 May 1973; during the dictatorship of General Juan Velasco. In 1977, UNESCO recognised it as a Biosphere Reserve and in 1987, as a World Heritage Site. In 2002, the Peruvian government increased the extension of the park to its current area.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q390264 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Although severely damaged by earthquakes, this 'City of the Kings' was, until the middle of the 18th century, the capital and most important city of the Spanish dominions in South America. Many of its buildings, such as the Convent of San Francisco (the largest of its type in this part of the world), are the result of collaboration between local craftspeople and others from the Old World.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, was founded by Francisco Pizarro on 18 January 1535, and given the name "City of the Kings" (Ciudad de Los Reyes). Nevertheless, with time its original name persisted, which may come from one of two sources: Either the Aymara language lima-limaq (meaning "yellow flower"), or the Spanish pronunciation of the Quechuan word rimaq (meaning "talker", and actually written and pronounced limaq in the nearby Quechua I languages). It is worth nothing that the same Quechuan word is also the source of the name given to the river that feeds the city, the Rímac River (pronounced as in the politically dominant Quechua II languages, with an "r" instead of an "l"). Early maps of Peru show the two names displayed jointly.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q3320442 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The park was created in 1983 to protect the fauna and flora of the rainforests that are characteristic of this region of the Andes. There is a high level of endemism among the fauna and flora found in the park. The yellow-tailed woolly monkey, previously thought extinct, is found only in this area. Research undertaken since 1985 has already uncovered 36 previously unknown archaeological sites at altitudes of between 2,500 and 4,000 m, which give a good picture of pre-Inca society.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography and climate

Located in the San Martín Region of Peru between the Marañón and Huallaga rivers, the park has an area of approximately 2,745.2 square kilometres. The park covers 70% of the Abiseo river basin. Elevations reach as high as 4,200 meters (13,780 ft) above sea level and as low as 350 m (1,150 ft).

The park protects three distinct ecoregions: Ucayali moist forests at lower elevations, Peruvian Yungas at middle elevations, and Cordillera Central páramo at the highest elevations.

There are at least seven climate zones in the park, including montane forest, tropical alpine forest, montane rainforest, high Andean grasslands (puna), and dry forest. Rainfall ranges from 20 to 80 inches (2.0 m) per annum.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q941412 (CC0).

Visiting Río Abiseo National Park

Rio Abiseo National Park (Parque Nacional del Río Abiseo) is a world heritage listed national park in the San Martín region near Tarapoto. Since 1986, the park has not been open to tourism due to the fragile nature of the natural and archaeological environments.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Rio Abiseo National Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima, the geoglyphs of Nasca and the pampas of Jumana cover about 450 km 2 . These lines, which were scratched on the surface of the ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500, are among archaeology's greatest enigmas because of their quantity, nature, size and continuity. The geoglyphs depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. They are believed to have had ritual astronomical functions.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Recorded history

The first published mention of the Nazca Lines was by Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de León in his 1553 book, where he described them as trail markers. In 1569, Luis Monzón reported having seen ancient ruins in Peru, including the remains of "roads".

Although the lines were partially visible from nearby hills, the first to report them in the twentieth century were Peruvian military and civilian pilots. In 1927, Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe spotted them while he was hiking through the foothills. He discussed them at a conference in Lima in 1939.

American historian Paul Kosok is credited as the first scholar to study the lines in depth. While in Peru in 1940–41 to study ancient irrigation systems, he flew over the lines and realized that one was in the shape of a bird.

Location

The high, arid plateau stretches more than 80 km (50 mi) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana, approximately 400 km (250 mi) south of Lima. The main PE-1S Panamericana Sur runs parallel to it. The main concentration of designs is in a 10 by 4 km (6 by 2 mi) rectangle, south of the hamlet of San Miguel de la Pascana. In this area, the most notable geoglyphs are visible.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q2620036 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The historic centre of Arequipa, built in volcanic sillar rock, represents an integration of European and native building techniques and characteristics, expressed in the admirable work of colonial masters and Criollo and Indian masons. This combination of influences is illustrated by the city's robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and the intricate Baroque decoration of its facades.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Description

The historic centre of Arequipa, built in volcanic sillar rock, represents an integration of European and native building techniques and characteristics, expressed in the admirable work of colonial masters and Criollo and Indian masons. This combination of influences is illustrated by the city's robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and the intricate Baroque decoration of its facades.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q8343756 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The 5000-year-old 626-hectare archaeological site of The Sacred City of Caral-Supe is situated on a dry desert terrace overlooking the green valley of the Supe river. It dates back to the Late Archaic Period of the Central Andes and is the oldest centre of civilization in the Americas. Exceptionally well-preserved, the site is impressive in terms of its design and the complexity of its architectural, especially its monumental stone and earthen platform mounts and sunken circular courts. One of 18 urban settlements situated in the same area, Caral features complex and monumental architecture, including six large pyramidal structures. A quipu (the knot system used in Andean civilizations to record information) found on the site testifies to the development and complexity of Caral society. The city’s plan and some of its components, including pyramidal structures and residence of the elite, show clear evidence of ceremonial functions, signifying a powerful religious ideology.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Caral was inhabited from around 2600 BC to 2000 BC, and the site includes an area of more than 60 hectares (150 acres). Caral has been described by its excavators as the oldest urban center in the Americas. This claim has been challenged by the discovery of other ancient sites nearby, such as Bandurria, Peru. Accommodating more than 3,000 inhabitants, Caral is the best studied and one of the largest sites known of the Norte Chico civilization.

The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. In early 2021, tensions arose between squatters claiming land rights and archaeologists researching the site, as housing construction encroached on the site.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q219279 (CC0).