Its capital, Callalli, lies on an ancient trade route for
Obsidian that ran from
Chivay to
Lake Titicaca around 1800-200BC. The earliest findings in the region, carvings of camelids in the Mollupunko Cave, date around 8,000 years back.[2] The town of Callalli was founded as a Spanish
Reduccion in 1573 with the initial name of Alcantara de Callalli.[3][4]
Callalli is the main seat of a catholic pastoral team that takes care of a 7,000 km² area including the towns of Callalli,
Sibayo,
Tisco, Imata and
Caylloma. The parish is led by the
Austrian priest and missionary Franz Windischhofer since 1991, whose work was acknowledged by the Peruvian government for "building a community of peace" in Peru since 1980.[5][6]
Geography
One of the highest mountains of the district is
Waran K'anthi at approximately 5,426 m (17,802 ft). Other mountains are listed below:[7]
Alpaca Fair, a
Caylloma Province regional fair of
Alpaca breeders convening in Callalli each June to present their alpacas.[8]
MollepunkoCaves, a rocky shelter and shallow cave system dating from about 6000 years BC,[2] featuring more than 20 carved
cave paintings.[9] Said paintings, made by pre-Inca inhabitants, show the early domestication of
Camelids among other figures. The caves were probably used for rituals in the pre-Inca era, and as a grave site after the Incas. Local legends point to an
Inca Empire treasure being buried close to a large black boulder, as one of the abandoned deliveries of gold to buy free
Atahualpa after his execution.[citation needed] Multiple excavation attempts - including an intact, 3m long tunnel in front of the caves and a 2.5m deep man-made ravine under the large boulder, point to
treasure hunting having taken place.
Enchanted Castles of Callalli, a rock formation featuring jagged boulders directly above the city of Callalli.[10][11]
Banos Termales de Inca, a thermal bath complex between Callalli and
Sibayo.[12]
Choqueshisha, a ritual site inside of Callalli where local women thank
Pachamama for the gift of water with a sacrifice of
Llama fat, corn and other local products once a year.[13]
Puente de Pachachaca, colonial bridge built with ashlars made of volcanic material and boulder. On the road from
Cápac Ñan that runs from
Cusco to
Arequipa and on the
Colca River.[14] The bridge is featured on the upper right part of the coat of arms of Callalli.
Iglesia Callalli de San Antonio de Padua, a Catholic parish church under the patronage of
San Antonio de Padua, built in an
Andean Baroque style, located in the town center of Callalli. It features a cross-shaped blueprint and a baptistry, two symmetrical towers on the sides and a vaulted roof. Inside are artworks depicting the miracles of San Antonio.[15]
Chulpas Tahuaya, an above-ground, Pre-Inca grave site featuring four small stone buildings that contain well-preserved bones and skulls.[16]
Llapa Yanahuara, an Collagua-Inca-Colonial town, with a church built on top of a pre-Hispanic
Huaca.[16]
Ventana del Colca, a rock formation in the form of a window as a natural entrance to the valley and
Colca Canyon.[17]
Choqolaqa, a large rock formation about 2 hours outside of Callalli, belonging to the district of
Tisco, featuring white towers of eroded rocks. A road leads up to an altitude of 4700m; the rock formation itself can be reached after a short hike at an altitude of 4950m.[18]
Iglesia Callalli de San Antonio de Padua
Rock formation a few minutes outside of Callalli
A herd of alpacas grazing outside of the Mollepunko caves close to Callalli
The "Enchanted Castles of Callalli" above Callalli
Callalli as seen from the air
The Callalli Church with rock formation in the background
Mollepunko Caves outside of Callalli in the Colca Canyon
Ethnic groups
The people in the district are mainly
indigenous citizens of
Quechua descent.
Quechua is the language which the majority of the population (62.06%) learnt to speak in childhood, 37.48% of the residents started speaking using the
Spanish language (
2007 Peru Census).[19]
^inei.gob.peArchived January 27, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine INEI, Peru, Censos Nacionales 2007, Frequencias: Preguntas de Población: Idioma o lengua con el que aprendió hablar (in Spanish)