Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Veterans of Cuba have been known to double take in El Carmen, a place where African
and Latin American cultures collide with hip-gyrating results. The small rustic 'village' is
famous for its rhythm-heavy Afro- Peruvian music heard in the
peñas
(bars and clubs fea-
turing live folkloric music) which lie about 15km outside town. The best times to visit are
during the cultural festivals. Festival or no festival, there's usually something going on at
the
Ballumbrosio Estate
(San José 325).
The house of El Carmen's most famous dancing
family is a museum to Afro-Peruvian culture and music breaks out here spontaneously
most weekends. Pop in if you're in the village to view the photos and paintings and see
what's up.
Casa-Hacienda San José
( 31-3332;
www.casahaciendasanjose.com
;
El Carmen)
Providing reason
alone to make the trip down from Lima, this former slave plantation with its stately
hacienda offers a rare opportunity for Afro-Peruvian historical immersion - some of it gil-
ded, some of it gruesome. You can even stay overnight, in heady colonial-era opulence -
the hacienda reopened as a 12-room
hotel
(r S210-250; )
in 2012 after a five-year
hiatus following the 2007 earthquake. For nonguests, one hour tours of the hacienda and
its famous catacombs cost S20 - just ring the bell at the main gate. The original building
with its fine baroque chapel dates from 1688. Surviving artifacts include frescos, agricul-
tural equipment, and brutal remnants of a system once used to subjugate the slaves includ-
ing an extensive web of catacombs and underground tunnels (which you explore with a
candle). Should you arrive on a Sunday be sure to stay for the dinner buffet show (S70)
which is accompanied by athletic Afro-Peruvian dancing in the shaded courtyard. A spec-
tacularly ruined cotton factory, dating from 1913, sits next door.
MUSEUM
Archaeological Sites
In ancient times, the small Chincha empire flourished in this region until it was clobbered
by the Incas in the late 15th century. The best surviving archaeological sites in the area are
Tambo de Mora
, on the coast about 10km from Chincha, and the temple of
La
Centinela
northwest of the city, about 8km off Carr Panamericana Sur. Both can be vis-
ited by taxi (about S15 one way).
Festivals & Events
The abundance of local festivals includes the
Verano Negro
(late February/early March),
Fiestas Patrias
(National Independence, in late July) and
La Virgen del Carmen de
Chincha
(the festival in honor of the patron Virgin, on December 27). During these times,
