| Quinua Kinwa |
|
|---|---|
| Obelisk on the pampa near Quinua commemorating the Battle of Ayacucho | |
|
Quinua
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Peru |
| Region | Ayacucho |
| Province | Huamanga |
| District | Quinua District |
| Elevation | 3,300 m (10,827 ft) |
| Time zone | PET (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | PET (UTC-5) |
Quinua is a small town in the province of Huamanga, in Peru's central highland department of Ayacucho, 37 km (23 mi) from the city of Huamanga (Ayacucho), at an altitude of 3,300 metres (10,830 ft), which today serves as the administrative capital of the district of the same name. It is noted for its distinctive pottery and as the site of the 1824 Battle of Ayacucho.
Long noted for its pottery, and serving as a way station between the larger towns of Huamanga and Huanta, Quinua received a boost to its primarily agricultural subsistence with the celebration of the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Ayacucho in 1974. In preparation for the ceremonies dedicating a 44-metre (144 ft) obelisk commemorating the 44-year struggle for independence, a paved roadway was built linking Quinua and Huamanga, thereby shortening to less than an hour what had until then been a day-long trip.
Following Peru's civil war between the Peruvian state and the Shining Path guerrilla movement, the town capitalized on its historic location, garnering a share of Ayacucho's tourism market. Among the attractions offered the more than 10,000[1] who visit each year are the battlefield and the commemorative obelisk, a historical museum featuring relics from the battle, and as well as the town's famous pottery, and colonial architecture.