Huaraz

Movies

Those travellers hankering for a new release in a movie theater will be disappointed to learn that there is no movie theater in Huaraz. Approximately a decade ago there was a functioning theater but it shut down due to low profits. There is sometimes the possibility to watch movies at Mi Chef Kristof where Huaraz Satyricon shows movies often new releases on their large 5 foot screen in the cafe, for 5 soles. Free popcorn is included with the price of admission. Huaraz Satyricon also screens the mountaineering classic "Touching the Void" which was partially shot in the Cordillera Blanca, and dramatizes a now-legendary mountaineering trip.

Archeological Sites

Within walking distance of Huaraz is the Wari ruin of Wilcawain. Monumento Nacional Wilcahuaín is a small Wari tuin that dates back to 600 to 900 AD. This temple complex is virtually undamaged, providing a unique opportunity to see a complete pre-Columbian building in Peru. It is an imitation of the temple at Chavín, in the Tiahuanaco style. Wilcahuaín means 'grandson's house' in Quechua. The ruin was originally filled with mummies who were kept dry by using a sophisticated ventilation system. It is not only interesting in itself but can be visited on a great acclimatization hike that leaves right from town. It is easiest to take a combi there uphill and walk back via an old Incan trail approximately 2 hours.

Huaraz is also the departure point for tours to see Chavín de Huántar, the center of a cultural and artistic revolution in Peru that took place between 600 and 300 B.C.E. Museums in Huaraz contain many fine examples of Chavin sculpture and older Cupinisque pottery.

Puya Raimondi

Puya Raimondi are the biggest pinapple plants of the world. They bloom with 50-75 years once for 9 months with 8.000-10.000 niches and a flower altitude of up to 10m higth, then they die. They grow between 3500 and 4700m altitude.

The Museo Regional de Ancash

The Museo Regional de Ancash houses the largest collection of ancient stone sculptures in South America. It gives information about all the cultures that have inhabited the Cordillera Blanca region. It is small but interesting, it has a few mummies, some trepanned skulls an ancient form of surgery involving cutting into the skull and a garden of stone monoliths from the Recuay culture 400 BC to AD 600 and the Wari culture AD 600 to 1000. A pottery collection, textiles, and metal works cover the Wari, Chimú, and Inca cultures.