Huancayo

Huancayo is the capital of Peru's Junín Region and Huancayo Province, in the central highlands' Mantaro Valley at an elevation of about 3,259 meters. The area was home to the Huanca people from around 500 BC before their incorporation into the Inca Empire under Pachacuti around 1460, and the Huancas later allied with Francisco Pizarro during the Spanish conquest, helping capture Cusco. Spanish conquistador Jeronimo de Silva formally established the settlement as Santisima Trinidad de Huancayo on June 1, 1572. The 2017 census recorded 456,250 residents, making Huancayo Peru's fifth largest city and the economic and social center of central Peru.