Uyo Uyo

Uyo Uyo is a Collagua settlement on the terraced slope across the river from Yanque - streets, plazas and the stone foundations and standing walls of round and rectangular houses, with agricultural terraces around it. The Collagua were the people of the upper Colca before the Inca, and the site continued in use into the Inca period. It was abandoned in the 1570s under the reducciones, Viceroy Toledo's policy of forcibly concentrating dispersed Andean populations into planned grid towns where they could be taxed, converted and conscripted for the Potosí mine - the reason so many Peruvian villages have Spanish street plans and a church on a square. The people of Uyo Uyo were moved down to Yanque. The walk from Yanque crosses a footbridge and climbs, and the site is quiet, with the terraced valley and the volcanoes in view.

What to look for

• The stone village - streets, plazas and house walls of a Collagua settlement.
• The terraces - the agricultural system worked from the site.
• The reducciones - the 1570s policy that emptied it into Yanque below.
• The valley view - Colca terraces and volcanoes from the slope.

When to go

April to November for dry paths. One to two hours plus the walk from Yanque. Guides in Yanque and Coporaque know the site well.

Good to know

The walk up from the river is steep at 3,400 metres. Little shade and strong sun. Signage is limited and the layout is hard to read alone. Ticket arrangements in the Colca valley change - check in Chivay.

Nearby

Yanque is across the river; Chivay and the Colca canyon road are east.

Key facts