The magnificent churches of Peru’s Colca Valley

The colonial square in Tuti was empty, and the church I’d hoped to visit was locked. It was the four-day Festival of the Cross in May — not, apparently, the most pious of holidays — and everyone was drinking at an arena on the edge of town. I went along.

A spray of colors lit up the sleepy brown countryside. The women wore long floral skirts, handwoven shawls and patterned hats studded with mirrors. The children were wrapped in striped wool blankets. Musicians with horns and drums were scattered through the crowd, playing catchy folk tunes, and people danced in circles, repeatedly pulling me in. The chicha, or corn beer, flowed generously. An old man insisted that I try a shot of herb-infused spirits, which he poured from a plastic soda bottle.

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All around the arena, spectators sat with their legs dangling off the wall, watching the bullfights. Men would drag each bull into the ring, then circle it and snap red-and-yellow capes to provoke a charge. If one animal failed to play, the crowd shouted for another, and the dusty charade began again.

Behind them, Peru’s Colca Valley, with its checkered green fields and the Colca River coursing between jagged Andean peaks, unfurled dramatically. Agricultural terraces, some dating to the 11th century, line the hillsides, seeming to stitch together the rugged scenery. Low villages such as Tuti slip into the landscape, almost unnoticeable from afar. All that stands out are the white churches, the valley’s three-story skyscrapers, which I had come to see.

I structured my visit to the Colca Valley around churches largely as an excuse to visit the towns. There would have been no other reason to turn down the dirt road into Tuti. The region is better known for its spectacular setting, with one of the deepest canyons in the world ringed by mountains. Tourists come by bus from Arequipa to hike, soak in the hot springs and see the giant condors.

The villages add cultural and historical depth. After the Spanish conquered the Colca Valley in the 16th century and grouped its scattered residents into 24 towns (17 of which survive today), the outside world left it alone for another 400 years. The region came to international attention only thanks to a National Geographic expedition led by Robert Shippee and George Johnson, whose 1934 article about it was headlined “A Forgotten Valley of Peru.”

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the area got a major road connecting it to Arequipa, Peru’s second-largest city, 100 miles away. Previously there had been little contact with the rest of the country, with goods transported by mule or slow truck. Today, it’s a stunning four-hour drive from the city, past bare volcanic plateaus and snow-capped peaks. At 13,800 feet, a cafe serves fresh coca tea for altitude sickness. Most of the area is a preserve for vicunas, graceful, long-necked animals related to llamas, which graze on the parched grass near the road. The land becomes greener as you descend into Chivay, the regional capital in the south of the valley.