San Antonio de Chuca, is a district located in the province of Caylloma in Arequipa, in the department of Arequipa, which includes various annexes and towns such as Imata Stone Forest, Pillones, Viscachani, Vincocaya, etc.
Imata is one of the most important and is located 132 km from the city of Arequipa, on the road to Juliaca. Along the old road to Puno, exactly at 13 kilometers from Imata, you reach Mauca Arequipa (old Arequipa), a sector where there is a strange and very original rock formation, which is made up of a set of natural stone columns that take on the appearance of a mysterious enchanted and petrified forest.
It has originated through hundreds of years, it simulates different silhouettes that resemble prehistoric animals, faces, silhouettes, monsters, among others.
It is a form of abstract art of nature, which invites us to interpret the forms that the rocks have taken, its originality allows those who visit the stone forest to admire such beauty.
Consisting of a set of natural stone columns of ignimbrite material that is the product of sedimentation of currents of material expelled from the volcano, it is made up of ashes, lapilli and blocks, the components are welded together, they can be called tufitic breccias of volcanic material of all grain sizes The work done by the erosive forces of nature (rain, wind and sun), make it a fascinating place.