Arequipa Travel Guide
1,020km (632 miles) S of Lima; 521km (323 miles) S of Cusco; 297km (184 miles) SW of Puno
The southern city of Arequipa, the second largest in Peru, might be the most handsome in the country. Founded in 1540, it retains an elegant historic center constructed almost entirely of sillar (a porous, white volcanic stone), which gives the city its distinctive look and the nickname la ciudad blanca, or "the white city." Colonial churches and the sumptuous Santa Catalina convent gleam beneath palm trees and a brilliant sun. Ringing the city are three delightfully named snowcapped volcanic peaks: El Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu, all of which hover around 6,000m (20,000 ft.).
Arequipa has emerged as a favorite of outdoors enthusiasts who come to climb volcanoes, raft on rivers, trek through the valleys, and, above all, head out to Colca Canyon -- twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and the best place in South America to see giant condors, with their legendary wingspan, soar overhead. Suiting its reputation as an outdoor paradise, Arequipa has weather that is Southern California-perfect: more than 300 days a year of sunshine, huge blue skies, and low humidity. Arequipa looks very much the part of desert oasis.
The commercial capital of the south, Arequipa not only looks but also feels very different from the rest of Peru. Arequipeños have earned a reputation as aloof and distrusting of centralized power in Lima. Relatively wealthy and home to prominent intellectuals, politicians, and industrialists, Arequipa has a haughty air about it -- at least to many Peruvians who hail from less distinguished places.
As beautiful and confident as it is, Arequipa has a history of natural disaster. The latest devastating earthquake (which registered 8.1 on the Richter scale) struck the city and other points farther south in June 2001. Although international reports at the time painted a picture of a city that had caved in on itself, thankfully, that wasn't the case. Poorly constructed housing in some residential districts was destroyed, but the colonial core of the city survived intact. The major structure damaged, the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, is still undergoing repair, and although its asymmetry of towers is unfortunate, it's hardly enough to detract from the beauty of this elegant city.
