Bolivia's tallest peak at 6,402 meters, Mt. Illimani rises up to watch over the city. Covered in snow and often ringed by clouds, the mountain's awesome presence gives a special character to the city.

The city fills up the bowl and climbs the walls of a gaping canyon nearly five kilometers wide from rim to rim.  The Choqueyapu River winds its way through the center of the city, although it flows mainly underground.  The center of the city is located at the bottom of the canyon where the land slopes gently downward for a mile or two, then drops more steeply toward the valley below.

The canyon lies just below the Altiplano, a high intermontane plateau. This location affords the city some protection against the cold highland winds and harsh, inhospitable environment of the Altiplano.