Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [122]
HIGHLIGHTS
Trekking past waterfalls, towering cacti, rural villages and ruins in the world’s deepest canyons, the Cañón del Colca (Click here) and Cañón del Cotahuasi (Click here)
Discovering the hidden secrets that lie behind the high stone walls of the Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Click here) in Arequipa
Dining in style (Click here) and dancing till dawn (Click here) with fashionable arequipeños
Mountain biking down or march to the summit of the El Misti volcano (Click here)
Scratching your head over the meaning of the mysterious Toro Muerto petroglyphs (Click here)
▪ POPULATION: 864,300 ▪ AVERAGE TEMPERATURE: January 9°C to 23°C, July 10°C to 30°C
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AREQUIPA
054 / pop 864,300 / elev 2350m
Rocked by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes nearly every century since the Spanish arrived in 1532, Peru’s second-largest city doesn’t lack for drama. Locals sometimes say ‘When the moon separated from the earth, it forgot to take Arequipa,’ waxing lyrical about the city’s grand colonial buildings, built from an off-white volcanic rock called sillar that dazzles in the sun. As a result, Arequipa has been baptized the Ciudad Blanca (White City). Its distinctive stonework graces the stately Plaza de Armas, along with countless beautiful colonial churches, monasteries and mansions scattered throughout the city.
What makes this city so irresistible is the obvious relish with which its citizens enjoy all of the good things that life has to offer, especially the region’s spicy food, stylish shopping and nightlife.
The pulse of city life is upbeat. The streets are full of jostling vendors, bankers, artists, students and nuns – in short, a microcosm of modern Peru.
Arequipeños are a proud people fond of intellectual debate, especially about their fervent political beliefs, which find voice through regular demonstrations in the Plaza de Armas. In fact, their stubborn intellectual independence from Lima is so strong that at one time they even designed their own passport and flag. The celebration of the city’s founding, every August 15, passionately puts an exclamation point on this regionalist pride.
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HISTORY
Evidence of pre-Inca settlement by indigenous peoples from the Lake Titicaca area leads some scholars to think the Aymara people first named the city (ari means ‘peak’ and quipa means ‘lying behind’ in Aymara; hence, Arequipa is ‘the place lying behind the peak’ of El Misti). However, another oft-heard legend says that the fourth inca (king), Mayta Cápac, was traveling through the valley and became enchanted by it. He ordered his retinue to stop, saying, ‘Ari, quipay,’ which translates as ‘Yes, stay.’ The Spaniards refounded the city on August 15, 1540, a date that is remembered with a weeklong fair.
Arequipa is built in an area highly prone to natural disasters; the city was totally destroyed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in 1600 and has since been rocked by major earthquakes in 1687, 1868, 1958, 1960 and, most recently, in 2001. For this reason, many of the city’s buildings are built low for stability. Despite the disasters, many fetching historic structures survive.
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ORIENTATION
The city of Arequipa nestles in a fertile valley under the perfect cone-shaped volcano of El Misti (5822m). Rising majestically behind the cathedral, El Misti can be viewed from the plaza and is flanked to the left by the higher and more ragged Chachani (6075m) and to the right by the peak of Pichu Pichu (5571m).
The city center is based on a checkerboard pattern around the Plaza de Armas. Because streets change names every few blocks, addresses can be confusing. Generally, streets have different names north, south, east and west of the Plaza de Armas, then change names again further out from the center.
Information
Bookstores
Colca Trek (20-6217; www.colcatrek.com.pe; Jerusalén 401-B) The best place for topographic and DIY trekking maps of the region.
Librería el Lector (28-8677; San Francisco 221; 9am-noon Mon-Sat) Two-for-one English book exchange