A Guide To ARequipa

Prettily perched in the western Andes at 2,325 m (7,630 ft) above sea level, in a fertile valley dominated by volcanic peaks soaring to almost 6,100 m (20,000 ft), the colonial city of Arequipa enjoys a year-round spring-like climate, with little rain and plenty of sun.

With many of its historical buildings constructed from a light, whitish, volcanic stone known as sillar (ashlar in English), Arequipa has become known throughout Peru as La ciudad blanca – ‘The White City’. And certainly, on one of the many sunny days the city enjoys, the Colonial centre sparkles.

History of Arequipa

The legendary translation of the city’s name dates back to the fourth Inca, Mayta Capac (born late 13th Century), who was traveling in the area with his retinue.

His soldiers, enamoured of the climate and productive soil, asked if they could stay here, to which the Inca replied, in Quechua, “Ari, quepay” – “Yes, stay”.

Undoubtedly, the area had been occupied for thousands of years before the Inca’s arrival, but little remains to be seen of that period or, for that matter, of the Inca settlement.

The Spaniards arrived in 1540, just eight years after entering Peru.

They refounded the city on 15th August, the Catholic feast day of the Virgin of the Assumption. She is now the patron of Arequipa, and the date is celebrated with several days of processions and parties.

The first buildings were made of adobe, but the Spaniards soon discovered that the sillar stone lent itself both to construction and carving.

In 1600, a major earthquake destroyed most of Arequipa, and the city has been regularly rocked by earthquakes since then. This has resulted in a squat, thick construction style, graced with lavishly-ornamented carvings - known as churrigueresque style after the Spanish architect and sculptor José Benito de Churriguera - deeply etched into the soft rock.

Arequipa was a proud supporter of the wars of independence from Spain, in the early 1820s, but had little contact with the rest of Peru until a railway was built to the coast at Mollendo in 1870.

It became southern Peru’s commercial centre, developed a reputation as a right-wing challenger to Lima and, still today, Peru jokes that Arequipeños are a people unto themselves.

With a population of around one million, Arequipa is considered Peru’s second most important city.

Arequipa’s Colonial Heart

Most of the city’s famed Colonial buildings are within walking distance of the splendid Plaza de Armas.

Surrounded on three sides by lazy arcades built of sillar, and on its north side by the block-long cathedral, the white-stoned plaza is famed as Peru’s most elegant.

Filled with palm trees, flowery gardens, and relaxing benches arranged around a central fountain, the square’s key point is surprisingly distant – the extensive, glaciated mountain of Chachani (6,075 m / 19,932 ft) sprawling directly behind the cathedral and, to its right, the perfect cone of Misti Volcano (5,822 m / 19,102 ft), beckoning to climbers.

Arequipa Cathedral is a 19th-Century building with a long history of perseverance.

Construction was first ordered in 1544, after which it was repeatedly ruined by a series of earthquakes, fires, and volcanic eruptions.

After a fire totally destroyed it, the extant church was built in neo-classical style in 1844, rebuilt yet again in 1868 after substantial earthquake damage, then lost one of its towers in the 2001 earthquake. It has been repaired.

The uncluttered interior is marked by high vaults and has a global flavour: the altar is of Italian marble; the Byzantine-style chandelier in front of it is Spanish; the enormous, ornate pulpit was carved in France; and the huge 1870 organ (one of the largest in the continent) was donated by Belgium.

The yellow and white flag to the left of the main altar is that of the Vatican. Arequipa is one of 70 basilicas entitled to fly the papal standard.

Just off the corner of the plaza is the Jesuit church of La Compañía. It was built in 1654; the churrigueresque façade followed in 1698 and is among Peru’s finest examples of this intricate, Latin American baroque style. The main altar and several of the side chapels are covered with gold leaf.

The unique San Ignacio Chapel to the left of the main altar has a polychrome cupola, covered with murals of tropical plants and animals, interspersed with angels and warriors.

Also near the plaza is the university-run Museo Santuarios Andinos (Andean Sanctuaries Museum) which recounts the 1995 discoveries of Inca children sacrificed and buried on the glaciated summit of Mount Ampato (6,310 m / 20,703 ft).

The museum tour then continues with an examination of clothing and artefacts of the Inca climbers, an explanation of where the bodies were found, and a respectful viewing of the best-preserved and most famous mummy, Juanita, preserved in a refrigerated exhibit (if not on tour elsewhere!).

A total of 18 mummies have so far been found on mountain tops in Peru and Argentina.

Arequipa’s most famous Colonial building is the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. This convent was founded in 1580 by María de Guzmán, a wealthy widow who donated her riches and became a nun.

At times it housed almost 200 Dominican nuns and their servants, with the nuns taking vows of isolation, never to leave the convent … which became a virtual city within a city for almost four centuries.

Opened to the public in 1970, the convent now gives a fascinating glimpse at early religious architecture, painting, furniture and lifestyle.

It is a maze of brilliantly-coloured streets opening onto cloisters and cells, kitchens and laundries, chapels and classrooms.

About 30 nuns still live in a private part of the convent, and make the soaps and pastries sold in the convent’s gift shop and café.

The Church & Museum of Santa Teresa is a Carmelite convent that was founded in 1710 and not opened to the public until 2005.

Highlights include an exquisite monstrance crafted by Arequipeño masters in the 1730s. Featuring diamonds and gems, including an emerald the size of a brazil nut, surrounded by leaves and ears of wheat made of gold.

There is also an extraordinary 18th-Century nativity chest which opens into a two-meter wide diorama covered with hundreds of intricate carvings showcasing some well-known biblical scenes.

The Church of San Francisco has red-brick columns and arches contrasting the usual sillar walls. Note the silver altar topped with 25 panels of brightly painted biblical scenes, and continue looking up to see cracks in the cupola attesting to earthquakes.

Arequipa’s patron saint, the Virgin of the Assumption, is on a fantastic float (paraded on Arequipa’s feast day, August 15) in the rear left of the church. The Virgin stands atop a globe, with angels and the four evangelists worshipping at her feet, and her entire body is encompassed by a halo draped with cherubs.

Adjoining the church is the San Francisco Museum with cloisters, religious art, and a Colonial library.

Casa de Moral is Arequipa’s best-preserved Colonial mansion. Built in 1733 and named after a 200-year-old mulberry tree within the main patio, it features a Baroque entrance with cantuta blooms (Cantua buxifolia, Peru’s national flower) carved into the lintels.

The 1868 earthquake left the walls standing within the ruins of the roof, until it was bought and restored by the English consul, Arthur Williams, in 1948.

Today, Banco de Crédito owns the building and runs it as a museum of Arequipeño Colonial architecture. Period Peruvian and imported furniture, alpaca wool carpets, Cuzco school painting, and 18th-Century maps are exhibited, and there are rotating shows of local artists.

Away from Arequipa Centre

There are several interesting Colonial sites in what was once part of the campiña (countryside), but is now part of Arequipa’s suburban sprawl.

On the west side of the Chili River is the red-steepled La Recoleta Convent, which is another Franciscan church, founded in 1648, but reconstructed and added to numerous times. This gives it rather a diverse ambience, but the four remaining cloisters remain peacefully attractive and colonial.

More recent sections contain a fabulous library of over 20,000 tomes, the oldest of which was printed in 1494. Bibliophiles may enter for short visits accompanied by a Franciscan monk or by a site guide.

There are diverse museum exhibits: fascinating Amazonian artefacts collected by the Franciscans on their missionary forays into the jungle; pre-Colombian objects such as mummies and masks; and religious art.

The suburb of Yanahuara lies about 1.7km (1 mile) northwest of the centre beyond the Puente Grau (Grau Bridge).

Yanahuara’s square features a 19th-Century mirador (view point) with a series of sillar stone arches that beautifully frame Misti Volcano and parts of the city. Great for photos!

The plaza also has the mid-18th-Century Church of San Juan Bautista, with a late churrigueresque façade and a side altar venerating La Virgen de Chapi, who is paraded on her feast day of May 1st.

Sabandía was once a village in its own right, but is now a suburb about 8 km (5 miles) southeast of Arequipa.

There are Inca terraces on the outskirts, but the highlight is the 18th-Century Molino de Sabandía (Sabandía Mill) which has been restored and can be seen working. This is a nice spot for a picnic; there are grassy areas, volcano views, a restaurant operating on weekends and short horseback rides on offer.

How to Visit Arequipa with PeruNorth:

Many people combine Arequipa’s urban highlights with the natural wonder of Colca Canyon, which is roughly a four-hour drive away. From there, they can then return to Arequipa or continue to Lake Titicaca. This is the basis, then, of our Arequipa & Colca Canyon itinerary.

For serious rafters, Arequipa is the access point for two extreme, multi-day trips through the deepest canyons in the world:

• Colca River Rafting

• Cotahuasi River Rafting