Cultural World Heritage Site by UNESCO
Location:
Southern Peru, Andean zone, 2,335 meters over
sea level. (7,660 feet)
Distances:
633.8 miles (1,020 km) from Lima.
111.8 miles (180 km) from the Colca Valley
248.5 miles (400 km) from
Tacna.
201.9 miles (325 km) from Puno
388 miles (625 km) from Cusco
Population:
762,000 inhabitants (2000)
Weather:
The area was inhabited since 7600 B.C. by primitive men, and in the nearest
antiquity it was inhabited by the tribe pre-Inca the Collaguas, and then
conquered by the Inca Mayta Capac who ordered to found the first city, giving it
the name towards 1300 B.C.
Francisco de Carvajal, Spaniard conqueror, was the founder of the Spanish
city of Arequipa in August 15th, 1540 with the name of "Villa
Hermosa de Arequipa". During the colonial time it was favored to
be an intermediate point of the caravans that transported the immense shipments
of silver of the rich mines of Potosi (Bolivia) towards Quilca, port in which
was sent aboard for Callao and Spain.
Arequipa is the capital of the department of Arequipa, furrowed by the river
Chili and it is located in the slopes of the Misti Volcano,
5,822 meters above sea level (19,101 feet), and very near to the volcanoes Chachani 6,075 meters above sea level (19,931 feet), and the Pichupichu 5,425
meters above sea level (17,798 feet).
Also known as the "Ciudad Blanca" (White City) for
the numerous and magnificent constructions of temples, convents, big houses and
palaces in white ashlar sculpted as filigree. It also possesses an excellent
climate with almost 300 days of sun a year, with transparent blue sky.
Arequipa also offers an exquisite cuisine, beautiful landscapes of countryside, majestic
volcanoes, the Colca Valley, challenges and adventures in
Colca Canyon, natural reservations, and the heat of friendly people willing to
make the tourist enjoy their visit to Arequipa.
Arequipa is the second larger city of the country and the most important of
the south of Peru, constitutes the main pole of economic development due to
their multiple resources and to their irrigation projects that favor mainly to
the agriculture and the cattle raising; industry of milk products and leathers.
It has a modern hotel infrastructure.
Visiting
Arequipa
Historical Center: Cultural
World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Arequipa conserves
one of the best architectural treasures in the colonial time of Peru, expressed
maybe in the best way in its temples and religious convents and beautiful
elegant big houses in colonial-mestizo architecture.
Museums: Anthropological Museum of the Catholic University
of Santa Maria, Archaeological Museum of the National University of San Agustín,
Santury Museum Juanita
Mummy's collection, City Museum.
The Countryside: (La Campiña) The agricultural area of the periphery of
the city is embodied in beautiful picturesque landscapes, in which numerous
towns are located described in "Areas around the City." It is as a
great chessboard in different degrees of green and with the Incan system of
sowing in "andenerías". The countryside of Arequipa has been a
inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists and poets.
Areas around the city: Towns of
beautiful landscapes and some with beautiful churches and colonial monuments,
with magnificent view of the countryside, and towns with medicinal watering
places of spring water.
The Colca Valley: Valley, formed by the
Colca river in which side banks exists a great beauty scene and enormous
cultural attractiveness where you will have an encounter with the descendants of
the Collaguas.
Tourism of Adventure: The Colca Canyon, the deepest on the Earth,
besides landscapes of indescribable beauty, is one of the best sceneries in the
world for canoeing, and for the lovers of extreme adventure. Also for hiking
lovers, they have the possibility to get to the high and snowy crater of the volcanoes
Misti and Chachani.
Ecological Arequipa: National Reserve Salinas and Aguada Blanca for
the protection of high mountain species, and the National Sanctuary of Mejia Lagoons area
protected for migratory birds.
The Valley of the Volcanoes: Geologic
formation from the Quaternary Era, with more than 80 volcanoes in magnificent
landscape that looks like a moony landscape.
Arequipa: Quechua Language = Ari quepay - Yes, stay.
Arequipa is an excellent
destination for three types of tourism, the historical-archaeological, the
adventure tourism, and the ecological tourism.