Pampachiri

Pampachiri
—  District  —
Coordinates:
Country  Peru
Region Apurímac
Province Andahuaylas
Founded
Capital Pampachiri
Government
 • Mayor Wilfredo Cirilo Chipana Fernandez
Area
 • Total 602.5 km2 (232.6 sq mi)
Elevation 3,362 m (11,030 ft)
Population (2005 census)
 • Total 2,948
 • Density 4.9/km2 (12.7/sq mi)
Time zone PET (UTC-5)
UBIGEO 030210

Pampachiri is a rural district in Andahuaylas Province in the Apurímac Region of southern Peru. It is also the name of a village in the district. The population of the district is about 2,400 with about 1,000 of those residents living in the village of the same name.

Before the Spanish conquest it was populated by the Incas, Chancas and Wari peoples who have left numerous archeological sites in the area. There exist populations of pumas, condors and many other rare animals and plants.

It is an area of outstanding natural beauty. High in the puna area is the spectacular "bosque de piedras" which is an unusual geological phenomena of volcanic rocks in the shape of large smooth cones.

It is situated on the Puquio to Andahuaylas Highway which as of 2010 is still unpaved. The main economic activities of the population are subsistence agriculture and cattle raising (lowlands) and alpaca and vicuña husbandry (highlands). Typical crops grown in Pampachiri include potatoes, corn, alfalfa, and tuna, the fruit of the cactus indigenous to the region. It is one of the poorest districts of Peru with a typical family income of under US$1000 a year.