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Peru's second-largest city seems a world apart from its urban rival,
Lima. |
Fiercely independent,
arequipeños have a proud and distinct cultural heritage. |
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Arequipa was founded by Spanish conquistador Don Garcí Manuel de
Carbajal on August 15, 1540, an event still celebrated each year with a
week-long festival. However, the city's history began much earlier. |
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| During the colonial era, Arequipa
featured a higher proportion of Spaniards per capita than elsewhere in
Peru, giving the city a pronounced criollo complexion which has
shaped its culture and politics. |
| Arequipa has earned a
reputation over the years as a bastion of support for the
Church, the oligarchy — and independence from Lima. |
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Several Peruvian presidents
have hailed from Arequipa, as well as novelist (and failed presidential
candidate) Mario Vargas Llosa. |
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Despite its rapid urbanization in recent years, Arequipa retains a stunning
array of colonial-era architecture. Many of its former mansions and
religious buildings now house banks, shopping centers and museums. |
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| The crown jewel of
arequipeño architecture is the Convent of St. Catherine of
Siena, two blocks northwest of the Plaza de Armas. |
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This maze of cells and
cloisters surrounded by high sillar walls constitutes a
veritable citadel, occupying nearly five acres of prime real estate
in the heart of the city. |
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| Perhaps its most striking feature is its Mudéjar (Moorish) architectural style, unusual
for colonial Spanish buildings. |
| The convent was founded in 1579
by a wealthy widow, Doña Maria de Guzmán. She established the
tradition of favoring novices from high-class (and better yet, wealthy)
Spanish families. |
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| Families paid hefty dowries for
the privilege of enrolling their surplus daughters into this prestigious
nunnery. |
Accompanied by servants or
slaves, many of the nuns led lavish lifestyles, residing in private cells
and hosting extravagant parties. |
| In 1871, Pope Pius IX directed
Sister Josefa Cadena, a strict Dominican nun, to reform the convent. |
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She sent many rich dowries
packing, and freed the servants and slaves, offering them the option of
taking their own vows. |
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| Nowadays, about three dozen
nuns still live a secluded life within the convent's walls, down from
nearly 200 in its heyday. |
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The former Monasterio de
Carmelitas Descalzas de San José offers another glimpse at religious
life in colonial Peru. |
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| The convent was founded in 1710
by the Barefoot Carmelite order. |
Extensive earthquake damage in
2001 forced the convent to shut its doors. |
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Four years later, it reopened to the public as a "living museum" featuring
extensive collections of colonial art and religious artifacts. |
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Practical Information
We stayed in Arequipa for a total of three nights in October 2007
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Hotel: The
Casa Andina Classic, part of a popular Peruvian hotel chain, is located
several blocks northeast of the Plaza de Armas
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Restaurants: Apart from an excellent dinner at Nina Yaku, most of our
meals were rather mediocre — particularly at tourist restaurants on the
balconies overlooking the Plaza de Armas
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Transportation: We flew on
LAN Airlines
into and out of Arequipa, arriving from Juliaca (near
Puno) and continuing on to
Lima; we hired taxis to and from the airport,
located northwest of the city
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Miscellaneous: At nearly 1½ miles (2,350 m / 7,708 ft) above sea level,
Arequipa was actually the lowest point we visited in Peru (apart from the seaside capital
of Lima)
This page was first published 30 March 2008, and last
updated 17 August 2008.
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