Abancay

Abancay is a city in southern-central Peru. It is the most important city in the Apurímac Region, and is the capital of the Abancay Province.
Abancay is located at an elevation of 2,378 m above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes, above the Pachachaca River. Because of its famous year-round warm weather, it is known as "The Eternal Spring Valley". The nearest cities are Cusco and Andahuaylas. Abancay is located at the junction of two important Peruvian roads: the Caminos del Inca Road, an old road dating since Incan times, between the cities of Nazca and Cusco, and the Via de los Libertadores, between Ayacucho and Cusco.


Tourism
The Carnival is the town's main celebration festival. It is famous as one of the best Peruvian ethnomusical festivals. It takes place from the last week of February through the first week of March. The comparsas contest and Yunsa games, with people dressing in local traditional costumes fills the city's streets.
The city's surroundings have some beautiful landscapes, such as the Ampay National Sanctuary, a wildlife sanctuary located north of the city, on which Apu Ampay (Mount Ampay, the Lord of Ampay, in the indigenous cosmology) reaches heights of approximately 5,300 meters above sea level; lagoons, waterfalls, wildlife, and the famous Intimpa tree (a unique tropical conifer.)
The Pachachaca River is famous for his colonial bridge and valley where Canyoneering and kayaking can be practiced in one of the best and longest Peruvian locations for it. Remains of The Pachachaca State, an important producer of sugar and brandy during colonial and republican times, is now part of the city.
The Saywite Archeological Site is a famous temple and adoration center dating from of Inca times, located a few kilometers from the city. Therein is the world renowned Saywite Stone. The stone is a roughly spherically-shaped monolith that has a representation of the Inca world. It suggests that the Incas had a much better understanding of astronomy than Europeans used to give them credit for. There is Taxi service from the city.
The Konoc Hot Springs (Cconocc, in Quechua) is a resort located a few kilometers from Saywite and is one of the best places in Peru to enjoy thermal baths from volcanic waters. It is claimed that regular baths in the springs can cure arthritis, asthma, and psoriasis.
Abancay is the gate to the Inca city of Choquequirao, next to the Apurimac River, which is considered as important as Machu Picchu. There is evidence that the real dimensions of the city are much larger than what has been uncovered.


Education,Universities
Abancay, despite its small size, is an important center of higher education. The city is home of one state university Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurimac and two private universities, Universidad Tecnológica de los Andes and Universidad Alas Peruanas. There are also two college level institutions, Escuela Normal La Salle for teachers and education issues, and SENATI for industrial-related training.

History

Abancay was already a populated area before the arrival of the Incas. It was the frontier of the Quechua-Inca influence area to the Chancas, an ethnic native group of Peru. Its name comes from a flower native to the region called Amankay. When the Spanish arrived, they transliterated the word and named the city Abancay, Villa de los Reyes ("Abancay, Town of the Kings"), which was later reduced to Abancay, its current name.

Literary References
This town is the setting of José María Arguedas's novel, Deep Rivers. An important book that gives accounts of the history, traditions and customs of the city is "Alma y Rostro de Abancay", by Guillermo Vidalegut, a local journalist and author.