Just kilometers away yet the route an adventure in itself—following narrow jaw-dropping roads, and impressive Andean mountain passes,–one reaches the mountain-walled city of Cajamarca. As the setting for Inca Atahualpa’s capture and execution by the Spanish, the city is most famous for its dramatic history but also for its undeniable charm and architectural riches, with the city’s colonial center being filled with beautiful cobblestone streets, baroque mansions, and glorious churches built over old Inca structures. Not to miss is the only Inca building still standing: El Cuarto de Rescate (the Ransom Chamber) where Atahualpa was imprisoned. The city is also well known for its exceptionally rowdy Carnaval celebration, which is celebrated throughout the country at the beginning of Lent (usually in February), but none on par to the throw-down in Cajamarca, which draws an impressive crowd.