Most of Ayacucho's old mansions are now mainly political offices and can be visited, usually during business hours. These offices of the department of Ayacucho on the Plaza de Armas are a good example. The mansion was constructed between 1740 and 1755 and sold to the state in 1937. There is a pretty ground-floor courtyard where visitors can see the cell of the local heroine of independence, María Parado de Bellido. Upstairs there is some excellent tilework.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.11 MILES
This spectacular 17th-century cathedral on the Plaza de Armas has a religious-art museum inside. The moody facade doesn’t quite prepare you for the…
0.74 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…
0.06 MILES
Displays popular art covering the ayacucheño (natives of Ayacucho) spectrum – silverwork, rug- and tapestry-weaving, stone and woodcarvings, ceramics …
7.07 MILES
Sprawling for several kilometers along a cactus-forested roadside are the extensive ruins of Wari, the capital of the eponymous empire, which predated the…
Casa Museo Joaquín López Antay
0.37 MILES
This captivating little museum is really part art gallery and part an explanation of the process of retablo making. Retablos, ornamental, originally…
0.18 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…
Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis
0.25 MILES
Visually striking stone church containing retablos (ornamental religious dioramas) and an attractive adjoining convent dating to the 17th century. Located…
0.06 MILES
One of the prettiest plazas in the Central Andes, flanked by many gorgeous mansions, including the Prefectura. Ask at the tourist office for details on…
Nearby Ayacucho attractions
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Displays popular art covering the ayacucheño (natives of Ayacucho) spectrum – silverwork, rug- and tapestry-weaving, stone and woodcarvings, ceramics …
0.06 MILES
One of the prettiest plazas in the Central Andes, flanked by many gorgeous mansions, including the Prefectura. Ask at the tourist office for details on…
3. Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula
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This white two-towered church dating from 1716 has interesting floral flourishes near the cupolas of its bell towers.
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This church has two fine bell towers and, in the body of the structure supporting them, striking embossings and motifs. It sits on the site of its 1605…
0.11 MILES
This spectacular 17th-century cathedral on the Plaza de Armas has a religious-art museum inside. The moody facade doesn’t quite prepare you for the…
6. Centro Turístico Cultural San Cristóbal
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This remodeled colonial building's courtyard has been transformed into a hip little mall. Here you’ll find bars, restaurants and coffee shops, along with…
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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…