The
Mantaro Valley, with its main city of
Huancayo, lies east of the capital of
Peru,
Lima. It is a fertile valley containing fields of corn, artichokes, carrots and potatoes, alongside which flows the
Mantaro River. The Mantaro Valley is also renowned as an area containing many sites of archaeological importance. Nearby lies the important city of
Jauja, Peru's provisional capital in 1534.