The modern city of Huancayo offers its visitors a generous dose of Andean charm in its colorful markets, colonial churches and traditional festivals. The cultural and commercial heart of the central highlands as well as an important agricultural area, Huancayo may be big but its quaint little shops and restaurants give it a small town feel. Set atop a wide expanse of altiplano (high plateau) within the fertile Mantaro Valley, the city is a great base for outdoor activities such as mountain biking and trekking. It was once the seat of the warlike Huanca culture.