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About halfway between Rumicolca and Urcos, the insignificant villages of Andahuaylillas and Huaro hide deceptively interesting colonial churches. In the tranquil and well-preserved village of Andahuaylillas , the adobe-towered church sits raised above an attractive plaza, fronted by colonial houses, just ten minutes' walk from the roadside restaurant where buses and minibuses drop off and pick up passengers. Built in the early seventeenth century on the site of an Inca temple, the church has an exterior balcony from which the priests would preach. It has only one nave but is a magnificent example of provincial colonial art. Huge Cusqueno canvases decorate the upper walls, while below are some unusual murals, slightly faded over the centuries: the ceiling, painted with Spanish flower designs, contrasts strikingly with a great Baroque altar and an organ alive with cherubs and angels. To the south, the road leaves the Rio Huatanay and enters the Vilcanota Valley. Huaro  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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, crouched at the foot of a steep bend in the road 3km from Andahuaylillas, has a much smaller church whose interior is completely covered with colourful murals of religious iconography, angels and saints; the massive gold-leaf altarpiece dominates the entire place as you enter. Out in the fields beyond the village, climbing towards Urcos, you can see boulders which have been gathered together in mounds, to clear the ground for the simple ox-pulled ploughs which are still used here.
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