Juli Churches

Juli is a town of a few thousand people with four enormous colonial churches, which is why it was called the Little Rome of America. The Jesuits took over the mission here in 1576 and made it a language and training centre: priests learned Aymara and Quechua at Juli before being sent out, and the model of mission organisation developed here fed directly into the famous reductions of Paraguay. A printing press produced some of the earliest books in Andean languages. San Pedro Mártir on the square is still in use, with a carved portal and a large collection of colonial paintings; San Juan de Letrán, Santa Cruz de Jerusalén and La Asunción are in varying states of repair, some functioning as museums, some partly ruined and roofless with grass growing inside. Restoration has been slow and irregular, and opening arrangements vary from year to year.

What you actually see

• San Pedro Mártir - the working church on the square with colonial paintings.
• The other three - San Juan, Santa Cruz and La Asunción in varying states of repair.
• The Jesuit centre - the language and training base for the Paraguay reductions.
• The scale - four large churches in a town of a few thousand.

When to go

April to November. Two to three hours. Confirm opening hours locally - churches here close unpredictably and some are shut for restoration for long periods.

Honest expectations

Some churches are roofless or closed and cannot be entered. Hours are erratic and a caretaker may need finding. At nearly 4,000 metres it is cold and thin-aired. Facilities in town are basic.

Nearby

Pomata is south along the lake; Chucuito and Puno are north-west.