Arequipa Peru

Arequipa: Peru’s Best-Looking City, and a Frozen Teenager Who Changed History

In 1995, a mountain climber found a 15-year-old girl on the summit of a 6,380-metre volcano. She had been placed there by the Inca around 1450 AD as a capacocha sacrifice – a ritual offering to the mountain gods – and the extreme cold and altitude had preserved her so completely that she still had intact organs, skin, and hair. Her name is Juanita, and the Museo Santuarios Andinos at the Universidad Católica de Santa María in Arequipa is where she is kept. The museum rotates which mummy is displayed for conservation reasons; verify before visiting. The exhibit context about Inca mountain worship is as remarkable as the physical preservation.

Arequipa sits at 2,328 metres in the shadow of three volcanoes. The White City nickname comes from sillar, a white volcanic stone quarried locally and used to build virtually everything in the historic centre: the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, the carved facades of private mansions, the entire infrastructure of Santa Catalina Monastery. In strong Andean sunlight the city glows. The historic centre has been UNESCO World Heritage listed since 2000.

Santa Catalina Monastery

Founded in 1579, this complex occupies an entire city block and functioned as a city within a city for three centuries, with its own narrow cobblestone streets, plazas, courtyards, and residential areas. The nuns who entered were from Peru’s wealthiest colonial families, took their servants with them, and lived in considerable comfort. The monastery opened to the public in 1970 and the contrast between the austere religious exteriors and the vivid cobalt blue, terracotta red, and deep yellow walls inside is immediately disorienting in a pleasant way. Allow at least two hours; many people spend three.

The Plaza de Armas and Yanahuara

The main plaza is bookended by the Cathedral’s twin bell towers and surrounded by Colonial arcades. It is functional and beautiful simultaneously. The Yanahuara district, a 15-minute walk northwest, has a mirador (viewpoint) with arched colonnades framing the perfectly conical El Misti volcano. El Misti is 5,822 metres high, it rises directly above the city, and on clear mornings after rain it appears so sharp and close it barely looks real.

Colca Canyon

About 160 kilometres northwest of Arequipa, Colca Canyon is roughly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon at its deepest point. The standard two-day tour departs early from Arequipa and reaches Cruz del Condor, the main condor-watching point, in time for the morning thermal updrafts between 8 and 10am when the birds rise on the canyon’s warm air. Andean condors are the world’s largest flying birds, with wingspans reaching 3.2 metres; watching them gain altitude over a 3,270-metre-deep canyon is one of those wildlife moments that people describe for years afterward.

Food

Arequipa has a distinct regional cuisine separate from Lima-centred Peruvian food. Rocoto relleno – large spicy rocoto peppers stuffed with ground beef, olives, raisins, and egg, then baked with cheese – is the signature dish and is very specific to this city. Picanterias, the traditional Arequipa dining establishments, serve this alongside sopa de mariscos and chuño (freeze-dried potato). Zig Zag restaurant near the Plaza de Armas handles international visitors well with grilled alpaca and seafood; a local picanteria is the more authentic experience and considerably cheaper.

Practical Notes

April through November is the dry season and the recommended window for Colca Canyon. Arequipa’s altitude is manageable for most visitors arriving from sea level; it serves as an effective acclimatisation stop before continuing to Puno (3,827 metres) or Cusco (3,399 metres). Arequipa airport (AQP) has direct connections to Lima; several bus services run to Cusco, taking about 10-11 hours overnight.