Andahuaylillas -originally meaning Antawaylla or "field of copper"- is a small village said to have a benign climate and easy-going people. The village of Andahuaylillas is about 36 km southeast of Cusco. It is located a short distance off of the main road (Highway 32N) from Cuzco to Puno. You simply take a bumpy dirt road a very short distance from the main road and you will drive into main plaza of the village, in spring it is draped in red-flowered persona trees. Andahuaylillas main attraction is a humble looking church, called the �Church of San Pedro of Andahuaylillas�. Using a common form of intimidation throughout the new world, by the Conquistadores; this Catholic Church, was built in 1631, after the conquest, on the base of an ancient Inca temple. This actual church was one of the first attempts in this area to impress and convert the pre-Spanish inhabitants of Peru. The church is of simple construction, made of thick adobe mud-brick walls, common in colonial buildings, and features a relatively modest structure: a single nave with a bell tower and a fa�ade with two solid stone columns that stand out against the others around the main entrance. While the exterior of the church looks rather humble, it is the interior, that makes this one of the most valuable jewels of the colonial art in Peru, sometimes called the �Capilla Sixtina� or "Sistine Chapel" of America. The interior of the Church of San Pedro of Andahuaylillas is covered with Baroque art and many decorations. It has numerous and beautiful paintings of the �Escuela Cusque�a� or �Academy of Cusco�. There also is the mural by Luis de Ria�o representing the path to glory and the path to hell. He was also said to be the artist of the low borders of the wall and an important oil painting of the archangel San Miguel. The main altar is decorated in gold leaf from the Amazon region. The Baroque work of art is carved out of cedar with leaves of gold, above it the walls and ceiling are decorated with murals of geometric designs and golden decorations. The total effect is crowned by a portrait of the Immaculate Conception attributed to the grand master painter Murillo. The church also contains a majestic piano and on the side walls there are other altars and chapels embellished with a collection of anonymous oil paintings belonging to the Cuzco School. These and other valuable paintings make Andahuaylillas yet another treasure in the Urubamba Valley, in Cuzco We visited this church on April 19, 2006 at about 8:30 AM. We visited again on the morning of March 23, 2011 at about 11:52 AM.

Since this trip is between Cusco, Juliaca City, & Puno Peru; you have two choices of airports when planning to make the trip. One choice is Cusco, the other is Juliaca. The Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (IATA: CUZ, ICAO: SPZO) is located in the city of Cusco, a city in southeastern Peru. Cusco, a principal tourist attraction in Latin America, receives various domestic flights as well as some international flights. Or you can fly into the Inca Manco C�pac International Airport (IATA: JUL, ICAO: SPJL), known as Aeropuerto Internacional Inca Manco C�pac in Spanish, located in the city of Juliaca, thirty minutes from the city of Puno at Titicaca Lake. It is run by CORPAC S.A. (Corporaci�n Peruana de Aeropuertos y Aviaci�n Comercial S.A.), a government-run organization that oversees the management of Peruvian airports. Its runway is the longest in Latin America. While it is called International; it does not serve international flights! You can fly into Peru to the international airports located at Lima, Arequipa and Cusco. Then you can be flown into the Inca Manco C�pac International Airport. Then, you could stay at Juliaca or you can be transported from the airport of Juliaca, to the town of Puno in a taxi; with an average cost of about US $20; or in a minibuse, with an average cost of about US $5 per person. The leading hotels in Puno have transportation back to the airport. We found that when touring Peru, Magical Cusco Tours gave us the best service of all. They even arranged very personal tours based upon our ages and experience. They were there for us whenever we needed them. Click on any of their links on our pages and they will give you a 4% discount for taking their package tours. Mention delange.org. Merchant Code Inka2010 for your discount! We suggest letting Ana Maria handle your tour. Note: The 4% discount applies to package tours only! Discount does not apply to hotel bookings, domestic or international tickets, meals or any other service booked as a single activity. Magical Cusco Tours also has a culinary tour that you may enjoy.Click Here For: Taste Of Peru.com their culinary tour page.