Quechua, usually called Runasimi in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely spoken pre-Columbian language family of the Americas, with an estimated 8–10 million speakers as of 2004. Approximately 25% of Peruvians speak a Quechuan language. It is perhaps most widely known for being the main language family of the Inca Empire. The Spanish encouraged its use until the Peruvian struggle for independence of the 1780s. As a result, Quechua variants are still widely spoken today, being the co-official language of many regions and the second most spoken language family in Peru.
Ancash is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz, and its largest city and port is Chimbote. The name of the region originates from the Quechua word anqash, from anqas ('blue') or from anka ('eagle').
Yungay is a town in the Ancash Region in north central Peru, South America.
Kichwa is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia (Inga), as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers.
Southern Quechua, or simply Quechua, is the most widely spoken of the major regional groupings of mutually intelligible dialects within the Quechua language family, with about 6.9 million speakers. It is also the most widely spoken indigenous language in the Americas. The term Southern Quechua refers to the Quechuan varieties spoken in regions of the Andes south of a line roughly east–west between the cities of Huancayo and Huancavelica in central Peru. It includes the Quechua varieties spoken in the regions of Ayacucho, Cusco and Puno in Peru, in much of Bolivia and parts of north-west Argentina. The most widely spoken varieties are Cusco, Ayacucho, Puno (Collao), and South Bolivian.
Cuzco Quechua is a dialect of Southern Quechua spoken in Cuzco and the Cuzco Region of Peru.
Wanka Quechua is a variety of the Quechua language, spoken in the southern part of Peruvian region of Junín by the Huancas.
Spanish is the de facto official and administrative language of Chile. Spoken by 99.3% of the population in the form of Chilean Spanish, as well as Andean Spanish and Chilean Catalan, Spanish in Chile also receives the title of "castellano." Although an officially recognized Hispanic language does not exist at the governmental level, the Constitution itself- as well as all official documents- is written in this language.
San Martín de Chacas is a Peruvian town, capital of the eponymous district and the Asunción Province, located in the east-central region of Ancash. It has an urban population of 2,082 located at 3,359 meters; and a district of 5,334 people. The district, located in the sub-basin of the Marañon River, has an area of 447.69 km², which represents 85% of the province.
The Sihuas Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru.This province was created by Law nº 13485, dated at January 9 of 1961, when was president of Perou: Manuel Prado. It is bordered by provinces of Huaylas and Corongo on the west, Pallasca Province on the north, La Libertad Region on the east, and Pomabamba Province on the south.
The languages of South America can be divided into three broad groups:
Cajamarca–Cañaris Quechua is a branch of Quechua spoken in northern Peru, consisting primarily of Cajamarca Quechua, and Lambayeque Quechua, near the towns of Cajamarca and Cañaris in the Cajamarca and Lambayeque regions. Cajamarca and Lambayeque Quechua have 94% lexical similarity and are mutually intelligible. Adelaar (2004) includes the dialect of Lincha District, far to the south on the border of the Lima and Huancavelica regions.
Pacaraos Quechua is a variety of Quechua spoken until the middle of the 20th century in the community of Pacaraos in the Peruvian Lima Region in the Chancay valley up to 3000 m above sea level.
Yaru Quechua is a dialect cluster of Quechua, spoken in the Peruvian provinces of Pasco and Daniel Alcides Carrión and neighboring areas in northern Junín and Lima department.
Alto Pativilca–Alto Marañón–Alto Huallaga Quechua is a dialect cluster of Quechua languages spoken in the Peruvian provinces of Huánuco, Lauricocha, Cajatambo and neighboring areas. The best-known dialect within the Huánuco cluster is Huallaga Quechua.
Lowland Peruvian Quechua, or Chachapoyas–Lamas Quechua, are Quechuan languages spoken in the lowlands of northern Peru. The two principal varieties are:
Quechua I, also known as Quechua Wáywash, or Quechua B, is one of the two branches or genealogical groups of the Quechua languages. It is composed of a great diversity of linguistic varieties distributed in the mountains of central Peru, in the departments of Ancash, Huánuco, Pasco, Junín and Lima. This Quechua I differs from the Quechua II by the use of long vowels and in several morphemes. According to the linguists Torero and Carranza, they are older than Quechua II.
Challhuacocha is a lake in Peru located in the Ancash Region, Pallasca Province, Conchucos District. It lies southeast of Lake Pelagatos, northwest of the lake named Labrascocha (possibly from Quechua Lawrasqucha) and north of the village of Challuacocha (possibly from Quechua Challwaqucha). It is situated at a height of 3,878 m (12,723 ft) comprising an area of 0.460868 km2 (460,868 m2).
Lake Llamacocha is a lake in the Andes of Peru. It is located in the Ancash Region, Pallasca Province, Conchucos District, northeast of Conchucos. It is situated at an elevation of 3,501 m (11,486 ft) comprising an area of 0.041169 km2 (41,169 m2).
Huaylas Quechua is an Ancash Quechua dialect spoken in the Callejón de Huaylas and in the western slope of the Cordillera Negra.
