Plaza de Armas de Chachapoyas

What makes it special

A bronze fountain stands at the centre of the square, ringed by flower gardens and paths. Look also for the concrete obelisk and the wooden gazebo, which was added later.

White houses with wooden balconies line the edges, and the square sits inside the historic centre that Peru declared national heritage in 1988. Several of those houses now hold cafés and restaurants, so you can watch the square from a table over Peruvian coffee or a dish from the Amazonas region.

The white cathedral of San Juan Bautista faces the square. It became a cathedral in 1843, and after an earthquake left it badly damaged it was rebuilt in 1928, then modernised in the 1970s.

Visiting

Go round the garden first, from the fountain past the obelisk and the gazebo, then cross to the edges and look up at the balconies. The cathedral stands at the corner of Jirón Amazonas and Jirón Nicolás Arrieta.

The Municipal Palace and a small museum, the Museo El Reino de las Nubes, also face the square, so you can take in all three on one lap.

Two short walks start here: the Yanayacu well, a spring two blocks away, and the Guayamil viewpoint over the town, ten minutes along Calle Salamanca. The market is one block from the square.

Guided or on your own

Agencies selling day trips to Kuélap, Gocta and the Karajía sarcophagi cluster around the square, with many on Jirón Amazonas, the street beside it. Most run Kuélap every morning except Monday, when the site is closed.

Kuélap entry is reserved in advance on tuboleto.pe, so ask whether the agency books your ticket before you pay. Licensed guides in Peru must wear their accreditation card while working: ask to see it. For Kuélap you can also go on your own and find a guide near the ticket office.

Tips

The square is busiest at lunchtime and in the early evening, so time your lap for one of those. The cafés, shops and offices round it mostly keep to eight in the morning until ten at night.

After that the square itself stays open and lit, so a late walk back to your hotel crosses it. Bring cash and sunscreen for the day trips you book here.