Utco is a small town and district in the Cajamarca Department of northern Peru. It serves as the capital of the Utco District, which lies within the province of Celendín. The settlement sits in the inter-Andean highlands, a region characterized by steep slopes, river valleys, and a cool, temperate climate typical of Peru's northern sierra.
Like much of the surrounding Cajamarca countryside, Utco is a rural community whose economy is based primarily on agriculture and livestock. The area is known for the cultivation of crops suited to highland conditions, as well as for the raising of cattle and other livestock. The town functions as a local administrative and service center for the scattered farming hamlets of the district.
Utco is reached by road from the provincial capital, Celendín, and ultimately from the regional capital, Cajamarca. Its setting in the Andean highlands places it among the many small, historically indigenous districts that make up the rural fabric of the Cajamarca region.