Explore the White City of Arequipa in Peru

As Peru’s ‘second city’, Arequipa is famed for the work of its native son, Nobel Prize winning author Mario Vargas Llosa, as well as of a variety of libertarian writers and politicians. The White City is certainly one of Peru’s most beautiful, with travelers often citing it as one of trip highlights. Its historical center, characterized by buildings constructed with pearly volcanic sillar stone and boasting intricate mestizo-baroque façades, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. 

 

 

A Hard-Won Reputation

Arequipa became the major commercial hub of the Peruvian south shortly after its founding in 1540, and despite a series of devastating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions quickly gained itself a prominent place on the national stage. A local civil war kept the city under royalist control until relatively late, 1824. In the ensuing Republican period a number of military rebellions and public gained it the nickname “Lion of the South”. Its residents even revolted against the Montero government, which had just based its government there and named it the capital of Peru in the 1880s. Jorge Polar aptly described local sentiment when he declared, “For years Arequipa has fought bravely to win free institutions for the Fatherland. Not born in vain at the foot of a volcano.” Today, it remains Peru’s “second city”, and is the seat of the Constitutional Court, Peru’s highest authority of the justice branch.

What to Do in Arequipa

• Visit the Plaza de Armas, which fills up with festive crowds gathering for outdoor concerts and fireworks.
• Sample some of the city’s traditional dishes: spicy stuffed rocoto chili pepper, chupe de camarones (crawfish chowder), cauche de queso (a cheese sauce often served on potatoes), and cuy chactado (flattened, fried guinea pig).
• Visit Juanita, the world-famous Ice Maiden, who was astonishingly well-preserved by a glacial snow cap for centuries after her sacrifice at 14 years old.
• Visit to the Moorish-style Santa Catalina Convent, so large that it’s often described as a city within a city and surprisingly tranquil despite its vibrant colors
• Tackle the three peaks of icy Chachani volcano, climb to iconic El Misti Volcano’s crater, or set off on a stirring downhill biking adventure along its slopes.
• Descend into nearby Cotahuasi, the world´s deepest canyon, or watch the huge and endangered Andean Condors circle over Colca Canyon.
• Admire the volcanoes, fertile countryside, and celebrated historical center from Yanahuara lookout.