Canchis Province

Canchis
Canchis
Province
	The Inca ruins in Raqch'i at the Willkanuta River in the Canchis Province are a common tourist attraction on the road between Cusco and Puno.
	Flag
	Location of Canchis in the Cusco Region
Country	Peru
Region	Cusco
Founded	October 14, 1833
Capital	Sicuani
Government
• Mayor	Jorge Quispe Ccallo
Area
• Total	3,999.27 km2 (1,544.13 sq mi)
Population
• Total	95,774
• Density	24/km2 (62/sq mi)
UBIGEO	0806
Website	www.municanchis.gob.pe

Canchis Province is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru.

Geography

The Willkanuta River or Willkamayu is one of the largest rivers of the province. Siwinaqucha, the biggest lake of the province,^[1] is also one of the biggest lakes of Peru.

The Willkanuta and La Raya mountain ranges traverse the province. One of the highest peaks of the province is Ausangate. Other mountains are listed below:^[1]

History

After independence, the province was created as Tinta Province. On October 14, 1833, it was divided into two new provinces: Canchis Province and Canas Province. On August 29, 1834, the city of Sicuani became the official capital of Canchis Province.

Political division

The province is divided into eight districts (Spanish: distritos, singular: distrito), each of which is headed by a mayor (alcalde). The districts, with their capitals in parentheses, are:

Ethnic groups

The people in the province are mainly indigenous citizens of Quechua descent. Quechua is the first language of the majority of the population (58.59%), and Spanish of almost all the rest (41.14%).^[2]

Archaeological sites

Raqch'i is an archaeological sites with remains of the Inca period. Other sites in the province are Ayamach'ay, Llamachayuq Qaqa and Machu Pitumarka.^[3]

Sources

^ ^a ^b escale.minedu.gob.pe - UGEL map of the Canchis and La Convención Province (Cusco Region)
^ inei.gob.pe Archived January 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine INEI, Peru, Censos Nacionales 2007
^ "Sitio Arqueológico de Machupitumarca". mincetur. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.