Huancaveli'ca

Huancaveli'ca, a department of Peru, lying entirely within the Cordilleras, with an area of 8710 sq. m. Pop. 104,155. The climate is cold and raw on the mountains, where sheep, cattle, and llamas are herded, and hot in the deep valleys, where sugar is grown. The chief riches are in the mines, especially of silver and quicksilver.—The capital, Huancavelica, 150 miles SE. of Lima, is a dreary mining town in the sierras; pop. 4000.