Located within the Nor Yauyos Landscape Reserve, in a rugged terrain of the capital Lima, is the town of Huaquis with its most representative remains of the culture that lived in those years in the area, its streets and houses intact, as well as its Colonial temple with a bell tower entirely made of stone.
Huaquis is the town of Miraflores, located at an altitude of 3,800 meters above sea level. its name Huaquis means "Old Warrior", its location on the top of the mountain, from where people can have a spectacular view of the Cañete River Valley. The buildings that can be seen in the area and their wear are a clear witness to the passage of time, as well as their slow destruction.
According to history, at the beginning of the year 1903, the town of Huaquis was abandoned by all its inhabitants, and the location of the town was located in an inaccessible place, therefore, it was very difficult to acquire elemental resources, such as the Water. Although they had very fertile and productive land, they decided to move to the lower part of the valley, thus founding the town of Miraflores. It is worth mentioning that the Spanish did not manage to reach these lands.
At present, a very enviable vegetation can be seen in the area, which is compared with the time that the inhabitants of the Yauyos culture lived, shortly after the Inca Empire was incorporated.
The greatest attraction to appreciate in Huaquis is its Church, despite the fact that over time a part was destroyed, the church is the greatest pride of the area, inside you can see the walls adorned with remains of what would have been the pulpit and some finely carved indentations. As we already mentioned, the town was abandoned, therefore, the vegetation grew without control, which is why mobility within it is a bit difficult.
The pre-Inca town is located in the district of Miraflores Yauyos, built strategically by the Atunyauyos on top of a cliff.
This place is a silent witness of different historical events, the archaeologist Schmitt characterizes it as the site that had continuous occupation through time.
Because this town resisted all the changes and attacks, both human and natural, not even the Spaniards could lower them into the ravines with their reductions.
Huaquis and Huancayahuaín witnessed how conversion to Christianity served as the only justification to subjugate the indigenous.
Likewise, to cover the maneuver of economic exploitation and the outrage against the ancestral culture of the Yauyos.
At the top of the Huamanchurco hill at 3750 meters above sea level, you can see the houses of Huaquis surrounded by vegetation and platforms, without a roof and reflect how the water has been a determining factor for their abandonment.
a) In the time of the Incas
They accepted the Inca as their sovereign without resistance, at this time they dedicated themselves to grazing their camelids and working the fields and crafts such as textiles and pottery.
b) When the Spanish arrived
The towns of Yauyos were renamed San Agustín de Huaquis or San Juan Bautista de Huancaya, with the intention of erasing the old Andean beliefs and rituals. In Huaquis the temple, the tower with the bell tower and the hospital were built.
c) In the republican era
The rugged geography, difficult access and lack of water have been factors for the population to decide to move to the side of the river, at the beginning of 1900 creating the current Miraflores town center.
a) Pre-Hispanic dwellings
Built of stones small windows and a door and is rectangular in shape
b) Crossroads -Huaquis a town
The town is divided into 4 neighborhoods divided by 2 main streets
c) Jail
Place where healers accused of idolatry were locked up, on some occasions the church served as prisons during the holy inquisition.
d) College
It was built in the republican era where men were separated from women.
e) Tower and bell tower
Built in the 16th century on top of a pre-Inca temple, the bell tower served as a means of calling mass and assemblies.
F) Hospital
This center had a kitchen to feed the sick and was later used as a cemetery
Huaquis is located exactly 4 kilometers from the district of Miraflores, in the northern area of ​​the province of Yauyos, department of Lima.
Many are the routes that take you to Machu Picchu, but none is like the Inca Trail Tours, the most famous pedestrian path in the Americas. After flying from the capital of Perú, Lima, you will arrive in Cusco to walk for four days along a path through forests and dense fog, millenary stone steps and discovering the ruins of ancient fortifications and Inca cities, and all the time enjoying majestic views.
