Ayacucho

Ayacucho (native Huamanga), the capital of the department of the same name in Peru, South America. It was founded by Pizarro, and is a thriving town of 10,000 inhabitants. It was here in 1824 that the Peruvians and Colombians defeated the Spanish and won their independence. The department has an area of 24,213 square miles. Lake Titicaca and the peaks of Illimani and Sorata are within its confines.