Yunca

The warm valleys of the eastern Andes descend from the Cusco highlands toward the forests of the Urubamba. Here the climate and vegetation change sharply with altitude, from cold mountain passes to humid wooded lowlands. Matsigenka communities inhabited the La Convención region before the colonial era and cultivated coca in its valleys. The rugged country also sheltered the Inca rulers who withdrew to Vilcabamba after the Spanish conquest of Cusco.