Callejón de Huaylas
Relatively little survives from the preceramic period in this region, but modern work by Thomas F. Lynch and his team has suggested a civilization which was integrated with the cultures living on the coastal plain.
The Callejón contains, within a short distance, many of the major eco-zones of the Andes, and Lynch suggests that this would have allowed considerable diversity of occupations.
Elsewhere, the preceramic site of Quebrada Perrón in the northern Callejón contains evidence of complex stone-working and continuous use for thousands of years as a stone workshop.
Its relatively low elevation lends it access to the many nearby biomes, from the tropical forest to the mountain peaks to the coastal region.
Its influence extended from the Callejón de Huaylas hundreds of kilometers away, as far as the Jequetepeque and Lambayeque Valleys, as evidenced by Chavin-style pottery and construction being found at these sites.
[2] Beginning around 200 BCE, Chavin de Hunatár faded from its previous preeminence, and soon was abandoned entirely and inhabited principally by squatters.
By the eleventh century CE, the Wari influence had faded from the region, and the whole of premodern Peru descended once again into an Intermediate Period.
[5] From this point onward, the Callejón de Huaylas fades from importance in the archeological record and is not mentioned in discussions of the Late Horizon and the rise of the Incas.
Located in the Callejón de Huaylas, Huascarán National Park was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977 to protect the local flora, fauna and archaeological sites.
The richer Mestizos dominate politically and economically, but migration, education and tourism have brought changes in the population in recent decades.
Although men have typically adopted modern pants, collared shirts and sweaters, Quechua women continue to wear llikllas and layered colored skirts called polleras in Spanish.
Both men and women wear llanq'is, rudimentary sandals in the traditional style, although they are now made from recycled rubber from car tires.
Furthermore, as the region heats up, parasites such as mosquitoes are able to survive the rainy season and live at increasingly high altitudes that were previously uninhabitable for them.
These trends pose a danger to public health in the region, and will also likely contribute to pressures on the government to address the changing environment of the Callejón de Huaylas.
[6] The valley is an excellent tourist destination both for Peruvians and foreigners, and the city of Huaraz is home to a variety of local tour agencies that organize trips to the major attractions.
Tourists come primarily for trekking and mountaineering, though the region also offers opportunities for adventure sports such as skiing, paragliding and rafting, as well as archaeology and botany.
Snow conditions in the area are unlike those in the rest of the world, and many inexperienced climbers attempt to climb beyond their means or without spending enough time to acclimatise because of the relative technical ease of some of the lesser peaks.
