In the Central Andes of southern Peru, Apurimac houses exciting places, ancestral heritage, and rich biodiversity varying from 2378 to 5331 meters above sea level.

Apurimac is a state of small cities, remote towns, and villages. The kinds of places locals say are “just around the corner”, when they are far away!

But it doesn´t matter that it is far away. Visiting these little towns is an enjoyable trip into the past. Cobblestone streets, tile-roof houses made of adobe and limestone, and colonial bridges and buildings give personality to the area. Humble towns preserve contrastingly beautiful colonial churches, housing invaluable paintings and gold-covered altars.

Besides this heritage, this land has been definitely blessed by nature. Apurimac houses a protected area offering beautiful views of an outstanding snow-capped mountain surrounded by vegetation and blue and green lagoons, a sanctuary of diverse flora and fauna.

In this region we also find the Apurimac river running along a deep canyon flanked by snow-capped mountains, slowly being revealed from the early morning mist. Later, shadows will be drawn on the cliffs when the sun shines in a sky conquered by condors flying everywhere. An ethereal scene!

This canyon is a favourite place for adventurous travelers looking for trekking, hiking, and river rafting. The foaming whitewater will turn later into pleasant hot springs at the riverbanks. These hot springs were believed to be an Inca resort.

Important Inca sites can be found in the area. The most popular one is a carved monolith that was supposed to be a model of the empire or an oracle foreseeing agriculture.

Image: AgainErick , CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link

Before the Incas, this land was inhabited by a civilization of warriors, the Chankas. The locals are very proud of their ancestors and every year a performance of the victory of the Chankas over the Incas takes place in an important Chanka archeological complex. This site overlooks a peaceful lagoon that legend tells gave birth to the leader of the Chankas.

Another local story says that the “smurf village” is in Apurimac. The unusual formations of a three million year old  stone forest of volcanic cones resembling that famous village are the reason for this popular belief.

Apurimac is then a land of magical stories and ethereal landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and warm-hearted and talented people who proudly keep their traditions alive. None are more relevant to us than the ancestral weaving techniques using Andean camelids fibers to make alpaca garments. The very same fibers used in your Apurimac Premium baby alpaca scarf.

Feel the fibers of Peru on your skin by wearing the fine and beautiful Classy’s knitwear!

Sincerely yours,

Ara.

Ara was born and raised in Peru. Since she was a little girl, she has written skillfully and always loved to travel. In recent years, he has worked in translation studios and in the travel industry. Ara says her work is a passion and a way of life, which is also reflected in the Peru-themed "virtual travel" articles for Classy.