Discover Muruhuay: Sanctuary and Festival

The Santuario del Señor de Muruhuay is located in the Centro Poblado de Muruhuay. A place of religious, historical, and architectural significance, it is also the most important place for celebrating the Festividad del Señor de Muruhuay.

A sanctuary with Stations of the Cross and a rock image

The Santuario is located in the Centro Poblado de Muruhuay. The Festividad del Señor de Muruhuay has been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation since April 21, 2017. The sanctuary is its most important place of celebration. Those interested in the religious tradition can see how the festival is connected to its central venue here.

Fourteen textiles from San Pedro de Cajas hang in the Santuario. They depict the fourteen Stations of the Cross and bear inscriptions in Quechua. Their origin, religious subject, and language give the works several distinct dimensions. Beside them is the original image of Christ on the cross: painted on the rock more than two centuries ago, it is now protected behind a glass case. The textiles depict a sequence of stations; the image is directly connected to the rock on which it was painted.

Festival, dance, and Chonguinada

The Fiesta Patronal del Señor de Muruhuay takes place every year from May 2 to June 15. During the festival, dance groups come each day to pay their respects to the sacred image. The traditional Chonguinada is one of the Andean cultural expressions associated with the festival. The dates, dance groups, and Chonguinada offer different kinds of guidance: the dates help you choose when to travel, while the dance and tradition illustrate the festival’s cultural significance.

If the festival is your main interest, you can plan your trip around this recurring annual period. This lets you coordinate your choice of holiday rental with your preferred travel dates, without reducing the different festival days and the rest of your stay to a single itinerary item.

Cultural facilities at the Santuario

The infrastructure belonging to the Santuario was inaugurated in May 2024. It includes a 2,400 m² cultural interpretation center with exhibition areas, gardens, terraces, restrooms, and tourist signage. The complex also includes an amphitheater for cultural performances with a capacity of 350 spectators. The facilities therefore include exhibition and outdoor areas, as well as a venue intended for cultural presentations.

Getting there and planning your trip

From Tarma’s Plaza principal, the Santuario can be reached via Acobamba by private car on a paved road. The route is 10.6 km long and takes about 20 minutes. This information refers to the described journey by car. It provides a specific reference point when planning a visit to the sanctuary as part of your stay.

The annual festival dates provide a clear timeframe; the directions given can help you fit a visit to the sanctuary into the rest of your plans. When planning your trip, also check whether your preferred dates match your accommodation’s availability.

Lunch as part of a full-day excursion

A full-day excursion includes a Tarmeño lunch in Muruhuay and an afternoon visit to the Santuario del Señor de Muruhuay. The availability of this offer may change, so check before making your plans.

For the broader travel overview: Provincia de Tarma.