Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NORTH OF TARMA
North of Tarma the highway passes through some of the more visually stark and tropically
lush scenery in Peru in relatively short succession. Climbing high on to the altiplano, you
pass through Junín, perched on the southern edge of the eponymous lake, before lurching
upwards to Peru's highest town, breath-sapping mining town Cerro de Pasco. The road then
plunges downwards toward Huánuco, jumping-off point for some fabulous archaeological
excursions, before dipping down again to the
ceja de la selva
in tropical Tingo María.
Acobamba
064 / ELEV 2950M
Colorful Acobamba, about 9km from Tarma, has profited substantially from and is famous
for the religious sanctuary of
El Señor de Muruhuay
, a white shrine visible on a hill
1.5km away.
The sanctuary, one of Peru's top pilgrimage sites, is built around a rock etching of Christ
crucified. The image supposedly appeared to smallpox sufferers during a regional epidem-
ic, healing them when authorities had left them for dead. Historians claim it was carved
with a sword by a royalist officer who was one of the few survivors after losing the major
independence Battle of Junín but this story has less cachet and legends relating to the im-
age's miraculous appearance persist. A small chapel replaced the previous roughly thatched
hut at the site in 1835 and the present sanctuary, inaugurated in 1972, is a modern building
with an electronically controlled bell tower and is decorated with huge weavings from San
Pedro de Cajas.
The feast of El Señor de Muruhuay, held throughout May, has been celebrated annually
since 1835. There are religious services, processions, dances, fireworks, ample opportunit-
ies to sample local produce and even a few gringos. Stalls sell
chicha
(corn beer) and
cuy,
but be wary unless your stomach is travel-hardened. Visitors usually stay in nearby Tarma,
although Acobamba has accommodations.
San Pedro de Cajas
064
