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The Quechualla voice derives from the Quechua word ´´Ccechuallay´´.



The district of Quechualla has the town of Velinga as its capital since 1905, by Law No. 69. This town is located at 1,980 m.a.s.l., and 6 hours away from Cotahuasi. This district has a population of 422 inhabitants.



Quechualla (annex), Velinga and Chaupo are extremely famous valley producers of very famous wines, in addition to a rich fruit production: avocados, grapes, bananas, custard apples, oranges, papayas, huayabas, perillas, mangoes, pacaes, lucumas, figs, etc. In the upper parts of Huanuca, Allancay and Picha, panllevar products were grown: corn, potatoes, broad beans, peas and quinoas; in addition to cattle and sheep on a smaller scale.











In Quechualla there is no house that does not have a garden or a garden that does not have a vine. The town, at the bottom of the canyon, is made of stone and mud. A bridle path with huge gorges that you have to walk on foot for 9 hours separates it from the town of Cotahuasi, capital of the province of La Unión, in Arequipa. On the way to the Pacific, the Cotahuasi River meanders between ravines and mountains, feeding on streams that descend from the peaks, between which small valleys appear where Andean man works the land to receive the most coveted fruits from nature.

In one of these stands Quechualla, a prodigious territory of grapes and wine. Its isolation is an advantage. Here the footprint of man almost does not violate the ecological balance. On foot or by mule, the traveler appreciates along the route the most spectacular whims of nature such as the Sipia waterfall, the Huancaruna gorge, the lush Chaupo valley, the giant cactus forest, or the fruit trees of Velinga if the walker deviates 45 minutes from the main route to ascend towards this annex where the lucumas and papayas show off their best qualities from the orchards to the side of cobbled streets.





The canyon narrows in the Niñopaccha sector. A precarious bridge joins the two immense rock walls about 50 meters from the Cotahuasi, a dangerous obligatory passage where the wind after noon is the best ally of death. Further down, the route takes the level of the river and continues along the right bank. Wild ducks abound in this sector, whose aquatic skills encourage visitors. After several hours of walking, after crossing an abandoned citadel of Inca walls and platforms, and surpassing the Secocha suspension bridge (of the same name to the town that is a day and a half way downstream, already near the valley of Ocoña, on the coast), Quechualla appears hanging from the left slope of the Cotahuasi canyon, very close to the river. A last stretch along a sandy road on the flat and winding on the ascent takes us to the main street in the middle of a lush orange grove. In this town there is no electricity but a lot of energy to produce the most desired wines in all of Cotahuasi. The thirty families that live here have vineyards and fruit tree plantations and are also dedicated to livestock. Like other towns in La Unión, here the main virtue of its inhabitants is the wisdom of getting along with Mother Nature quite well.







Archaeological resources:



Ruins of Ayahuasi, Ccaja. Located at the foot of the Cotahuasi River



Judio Pampa cactus forest.-



It is a forest of rare species of cacti that reach up to 13 m. Tall. They have a curious relationship of interdependence with a species of bat typical of the region. It is located 5 hours walk from Cotahuasi.







Vineyards, fruit trees and shrimp.-



In Quechualla there are the largest vineyards in the entire Cotahuasi valley, thanks to its warm climate. The wines produced in this locality are very well appreciated. There are many fruits that this town produces, including: apples, oranges, mangoes, figs, avocados, prickly pears, custard apples, papayas, etc. These vineyards and orchards are located one hour from Velinga and 7 hours from Cotahuasi.



Quechualla is also famous for its delicious shrimp extracted from the Cotahuasi river and from farms.

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