Close to the city of Ayacucho, there is a unique spot called the Pikimachay Caves. They are exceptional for several reasons. First of all, those caves are more than 20 000 years old. They appeared here because of earthquakes and Earth crust motions and became the province’s main natural attraction. Secondly, the first people of Peru made these caves their home several thousand years ago. That was the cradle of a new civilization that later gave the world a beautiful and interesting culture. Thirdly, the Pikimachay Caves are beautiful by themselves even without such a rich history. From a distance, they look like the eyes of a cliff. And if you look at the cliffs from the caves, the view will take your breath away.

American archaeologists were the first to notice the caves when they came to this area in 1969, looking for ancient civilizations. Initially, they didn’t pay much attention to them, but the further they went into them, the more artifacts they found. And all of their findings proved that some time ago, people lived there.

Thanks to the performed research, the archaeologists were able to find ancient tools for agricultural works, primitive ware, wrought stones that look like prehistoric furniture. According to the acquired data, scientists stated that the first settlers of the Andes appeared there in about 5 000 year BC. These were people who could cultivate corn, breed domestic guinea pigs; who tamed camels, horses, and giant sloth bears.

By the way, the name Pikimachay has a very peculiar translation, the «flea cave». When this placename appeared, scientists can’t say for sure. But there is an opinion that the place received such a name because it wasn’t easy to get there: one had to jump over the rocks just like a flea to reach those beautiful caves.

Tourists will enjoy walking in the lovely nature, looking at spectacular views, and of course, visiting a small museum to see all the discovered artifacts.