During the 80's and early 90's, Ayacucho was mostly under control of the Sendero Luminoso, an extreme leftist terrorist group (orliberation group, depending on your point of view). After thesuccessful anti-terror fights under president Fujimori, the influence of the Sendero Luminoso decreased almost completely. In the recent years, some singular activities have come up again. The area of Ayacucho is declared as ''zona de emergencia'' (emergency zone), but the only practical restriction for normal tourists seems to be the recommendation not to travel in the area during night time.The '''Tourist Office''' is found in the Plaza de Armas. http://wikitravel.org/en/Ayacucho