Located at the base of the Cordillera Huayhuash, the small Andean mountain village of Chiquián is home to 6,500 inhabitants. This charming sierra town gets its name from the Quechua word for amanecer—achikyay—or sunrise in English.
Chiquián was formerly dominated by traditional haciendas, but the patrones (plantation masters) let loose their tight grip on the valley in the 1970s. Shortly after, Chiquián became a popular tourist destination, creating a new economy. Hotels, restaurants, shops and professional tour guides sprang up to meet the needs of travelers. Cheese production expanded in the 1990s, securing this community of dairy farmers’ traditional way of life. The Asociación San Marcelo de Chiquián also runs a community-owned business in natural textiles and wools, harvested from the coats of the valley’s abundant herds of sheep and alpaca.