Yauyos is a town in central Peru and the capital of Yauyos Province in the Lima Region. It is the seat of the Territorial Prelature of Yauyos. The town sits at an elevation of 2,874 metres above sea level in an Andean mountainous area of rivers, lagoons and snow-capped peaks, including Pariacaca, Colquepucro, Chuecon and Ticlla. It lies about 209 km by road from Lima, roughly a seven-hour bus journey.
The surrounding province is one of the ten provinces of the Lima Region, covering 6,901.58 sq km and divided into 33 districts. It borders Huarochirí Province to the north, the departments of Huancavelica and Junín to the east, the Ica Department to the south and Cañete Province to the west. The province had a population of 27,501 at the 2007 census, and its official languages are Spanish, Quechua and Jaqaru.
The area was inhabited in pre-Inca times by the Hatun Yauyos, whose main city was at Ñaapahuasi and whose Jaqaru language is still spoken. Around 1450 the Yauyinos allied with the Incas under Prince Túpac Yupanqui. In the late 16th century, during the viceroyalty, the city of Yauyos was founded. The climate is generally cold temperate; in the town, temperatures range from about 1°C to 21°C, with the heaviest rain from December to April. The main local festivity is that of San Juan, with its central day on 24 June.