The area around Ayacucho has been inhabited since 15,000BC, as indicated by the remains discovered in the Pikimachay Cave. The area was then inhabited by the Wari culture, which had its capital close to the city, and then by the Chanca people, who were bitter rivals of the Incas. The Incas finally took control of the area in 1438. The city of Huamanga was founded by the Spanish in 1539, and moved to its present location in 1540, as its location between Lima and Cusco was considered strategic by the Spanish. The importance of the city, and the wealth used to build its many impressive buildings and churches, came from the mines in Huancavelica, with many of the owners of the mines in Huancavelica choosing to live in the more favourable climate of Huamanga.
The city?s prominence rose once again in 1824, when on December 9 the Republican forces of General Sucre defeated the Royalist troops in nearby La Quinua, and won Peru?s independence. The city?s name was then changed from Huamanga to Ayacucho, which means corner of death, in memory of the battle. Some people still refer to Ayacucho by its colonial name.
In the 1980s, Ayacucho was the centre of the Sendero Luminoso?s Maoist campaign against the central government. Abimael Guzmán, the leader of the Sendero, was professor at the Huamanga University in the city, and many of the first rebel recruits came from Ayacucho. The city was badly affected by the battles between the Sendero and the army, and many people abandoned Ayacucho for Lima, while those who stayed suffered severely. Most people lost family and friends in the violence, and bombs often exploded in the city. Despite this, people in Ayacucho are very friendly and open and will be happy to make friends with travellers. Many can tell the most incredible stories about the dark years in the 1980s and early 1990s, making this one of the most interesting corners of Peru to visit.
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