Huancayo is a busy commercial center in central Peru, 120 mi/195 km east of Lima. See the Convento Santa Rosa de Ocopa, which has one of the most complete collections of antiquities in the country. There's also a museum of natural history, Torre Torre (two enormous geological towers) and Capilla La Merced, a national historical monument decorated with colonial paintings.
Huancayo and nearby villages in the Mantaro Valley are a nice place to buy silver, alpaca rugs, blankets and other handicrafts. Plan a two-night stay. We enjoyed the weekly Sunday market, but the pickpockets there are very skilled and very busy. The train trip from Lima goes over the second-highest station in the world and is recommended.
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