Wari Ruins

Ayacucho


Sprawling for several kilometers along a cactus-forested roadside are the extensive ruins of Wari, the capital of the eponymous empire, which predated the Incas by five centuries. The site occupies a beautiful, peaceful hilltop location. A small museum (information in Spanish only) explains, using artifacts, the relevance and importance of this pre-Inca culture. Look out for the distinctive Wari ceramics. Don’t leave the site too late to look for return transport – vehicles get hopelessly full in the afternoon.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ayacucho attractions

1. Obelisk

3.92 MILES

A huge monument and tiny museum mark the site of the Battle of Ayacucho (1824) above Quinua – a small pueblo (town) once famous for marking the end of…

2. Casa de la Capitulación

3.99 MILES

Quinua's wonderfully named Casa de la Capitulación (House of Capitulation) was where Spanish Royalist troops signed their surrender after the War of…

3. Museo Arqueológico Hipólito Unanue

6.14 MILES

Wari ceramics make up most of the small exhibition here, along with relics from the region’s other various civilizations. The museum buildings are set in…

4. Museo de la Memoria

6.4 MILES

Ayacucho’s most haunting museum, remembers the impact the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) had on Peru in the city that was most deeply affected by the…

5. Mirador de Carmen Alto

6.45 MILES

This mirador (lookout) offers fabulous views of Ayacucho, as well as decent restaurants. Taxis here charge S5, otherwise catch a bus from the Mercado…

6. Iglesia de Santo Domingo

6.94 MILES

One of Ayacucho's most photogenic churches, dating from 1548. Purportedly built with the stone of a former Inca fortress, it contains some superb examples…

7. Otto Malena

6.96 MILES

Officially a restaurant, this surreal Aladdin's Cave is more a museum of curios than anything else, for the owner is primarily a collector of magical…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "peru/central-highlands/ayacucho/attractions/wari-ruins/a/poi-sig/1345949/363393",
      "destination": "Ayacucho",
      "continent": "South-America",
      "country": "Peru",
      "city": "Ayacucho",
      "position": "superzone"
    }