Discover Chivay: Culture and the Colca Valley

Chivay combines its own colonial and Andean local history with its role as a service center for the Valle y Cañón del Colca. The town is also a starting point for exploring the Colca Valley. If you are looking for a hotel, you can first consider whether you want to focus your trip on Chivay’s culture or on excursions into the valley.

Chivay’s History and Townscape

Chivay was founded by the Spanish during the viceroyalty of Toledo; its founding is dated approximately to the 16th century. Since the colonial period, the town has been a hub for trade and transport, particularly in connection with the mines of Caylloma and Madrigal. The townscape combines colonial architecture with Andean traditions. Central squares, orderly streets and house façades with traditional features are part of this character.

Colonial Church and Furnishings

The Templo Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Chivay is a colonial church and part of the tourist route through the Colca Valley. The present structure dates from the second half of the 18th century. Its furnishings include a carved, gilded Baroque altarpiece with Cuzco influences, a Renaissance tabernacle and an 18th-century pulpit. These features bring together different styles and periods: Baroque with Cuzco influences, the Renaissance and the 18th century.

Plaza Principal: Meeting Point and Landmark

The Plaza Principal lies at the heart of Chivay and serves as a meeting place for residents and visitors. A tourist map of the Colca Valley and Colca Canyon can be seen in the square. It points to the two landscape features that are also part of trip planning beyond the town itself. The plaza’s other features include decorative night lighting and stone columns with local iconography, topped by a statue of a condor.

Performances of the Wititi and competitions among Pinkullero musicians are associated with the plaza. This brings together orientation and cultural activities at the central meeting place, without implying a specific event schedule.

Wititi and the December Festival

Dances in Chivay include Wititi, Negritos de Chivay and Turku Tusuy. Wititi is recognized as Cultural Heritage of the Nation and is also part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Fiesta de la Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción is celebrated from December 7 to 12 and includes Wititi competitions. If you are planning a trip around this festival, these dates provide a specific guide for your planning.

Chivay as a Starting Point for the Colca Valley

Chivay is the service center for the Valle y Cañón del Colca destination and a starting point for exploring the Colca Valley. From here, visitors can join an organized tour or hire a taxi for greater flexibility. The options differ mainly in how you organize your explorations: with a tour or more flexibly by taxi.

Baños Termales La Calera Nearby

The Complejo Turístico Baños Termales La Calera is 3 kilometers from Chivay. The complex includes a small ethnological museum with archaeological finds from the Colca Valley and traditional clothing from the Colca. Parts of the terraced landscape and the Río Colca can also be seen from Baños Termales La Calera. This nearby attraction therefore combines museum exhibits with views of landscape features of the Colca Valley.

For the broader travel overview: Chivay.