| Arequipa | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms and flag   | ||
| Salutation | The ciudad blanca | |
|---|---|---|
| State | Peru | |
| Region | Southern coast of Peru | |
| Altitude | 2,380 m a.s.l. | |
| Inhabitants | 904.931 (2009) | |
| Prefix tel | 51 54 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 04 | |
Position
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| [link not working]Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Arequipa is a city in the Southern coast of Peru belonging to the territory Peruvian.
To know
Arequipa, second city of the Peru by number of inhabitants, it is also one of the most beautiful cities in country.
The city boasts a seductive historic center from the colonial era which in 2001 was included in the list of World Heritage Sites of HumanityUNESCO. The streets and squares of the central barrios are overlooked by churches, monasteries and noble palaces all built in the local volcanic stone with a tuffaceous appearance and a characteristic white color that have earned Arequipa the nickname "ciudad blanca".
Arequipa has a character of its own, unlike any other city Peruvian. Some have called it a piece of Andalusia on the ground Peruvian.
According to tradition, the name of Arequipa derives from the Quechua language. When the subjects of the Inca Mayta Cápac, amazed by the beauty of the Chili valley, asked him for permission to stop and build a city, he replied Ari qhipay, that is, yes, stop here.
Geographical notes
Arequipa is located on the banks of the Chili River and rises at the foot of the great El Misti volcano (5,822 m a.s.l.) whose last eruption dates back to 1784.
When to go
| Climate | gen | Feb | mar | apr | mag | down | Jul | needle | set | Oct | nov | dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum (° C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Minimum (° C) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 42,4 | 74,4 | 10 | 5,3 | 0,2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
The sun shines on Arequipa 300 days a year and even more. This is an unmatched record across the continent South American. Unfortunately, the ultraviolet irradiation is also high, which is why it is necessary to take the necessary precautions. The climate is constantly dry. Only during the austral summer (December-March) the humidity rate rises to reach values of 60-65%. The thermometer rarely drops below 10 ° in winter (June September) and rarely exceeds 30 ° in summer. A climate of eternal spring, no doubt about it!
Background
In 2001 a terrible earthquake on the 8th on the Richter scale struck the city but the historic buildings remained unscathed.
How to orient yourself
Arequipa center (Plaza de Armas): full screen map.The historic center of Arequipa hinges on the Plaza de Armas (or Plaza Mayor), on the eastern bank of the Rio Chili. It is overlooked by the municipal palace (palacio de la ciudad or alcaldía), the cathedral and, in the southeast corner, the Iglesia de La Compañía, which belonged to the Jesuit order. The other monuments are a stone's throw away. The monastery of Santa Catalina and the church of San Francesco are a few blocks to the north, at the end of the streets that border the sides of the cathedral.
North of the famous monastery lies the picturesque barrio of San Lázaro, with ancient houses overlooking narrow alleys. At the center of the district is the small square of Campo Redondo where Dominican friars built a hermitage which constituted the original nucleus of the city of Arequipa.
From the Plaza de Armas, take the Via dei Bolognesi heading west and, crossing the bridge over the Rio Chili, we come to the monastery de Rocoleta, which can also be reached from the Puente Grau, located a little further north. Also on the western shore and north of the monastery is the district of Yanahuara where there are other monuments of the colonial period among which the church dedicated to San Giovanni Battista stands out. In the district there is also "el mirador", a famous viewpoint over the surrounding countryside dominated by the snow-capped peaks of volcanoes of over 6,000 m.
How to get
By plane
- 1 Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (IATA: AQP). To 2020 the airlines Sky Airline Peru is LATAM Peru operated flights from File is Cuzco while the low cost Viva Air Perú operated only one flight from File.
By bus
Arequipa has two suburban bus terminals, located next to each other at the intersection of Avenida Andrés Avelino Cáceres with Arturo Ibáñez in the Industrial Park area, a few kilometers south of the historic center.
- 2 Terrestrial Terminal. The terminus said Terrestrial Terminal welcomes all buses to / from the Peru southern, Puno in about 6 hours, Cuzco in 10 hours away Juliaca, etc.
- Bus lines operate there Ormeño, "Transportes Cruz del Sur" is Expreso Cial, Oltursa, the main ones in the country and the most reliable.
At the station next door known as Terrapuerto, buses from File which make intermediate stops along the centers of the coast, Nazca (8-10 hours), Pisco, Ica. Keep in mind that some of these buses to / from Lima do not enter the 3 centers mentioned but will drop you on the Pan-American.
Other bus companies have a separate terminus from the two mentioned above. The advice is not to take them into consideration as they are not reliable. Only board the buses that stop at Terrapuerto and Terminal Terrestre. Do not ask your hotel for information unless you have lodged in one of those listed below. The hotel staff could set up a trap against you with the aim of extorting money and with the complicity of the taxi driver who will come to pick you up.
- Please note that bus stations in Peru they are the kingdom of thieves and those of Arequipa are certainly no exception. You should avoid attracting attention by dressing modestly and without any gadgets on that could betray the identity of the carefree tourist. Traveling by bus is not recommended, especially at night, due to frequent episodes of robbery to the detriment of passengers.
How to get around
What see
Religious architectures
- 1 Cathedral. Built in 1656 and rebuilt in the 19th century.
- 2 Church of the Gesù (Iglesia y Complejo de La Compañía).
- 3 [link previously not working]Santa Catalina Monastery (Monasterio de Santa Catalina), ☎ 51 54 60828.
Entrance 40 S /., Guide 5 S /. Founded by the Dominican order in 1579, the convent of Santa Catalina is the most evocative of the religious monuments of Arequipa and also of the whole Peru. It is a complex consisting of cloisters adorned with fountains, votive chapels connected to each other by paths that wind through flower beds. The nuns lived in the monastery from the year of its foundation until 1972, the year in which a municipal decree forced them to move to another structure. In fact, the municipality wanted to open its doors to the public. The complex is in Moorish (Mudejar) style, similar to that of many religious buildings Andalusians. In all it has 3 cloisters, 80 units used as cells for nuns and a small art gallery that opens onto the square. Although intact, the complex was seriously damaged by the earthquake of 2008. - 4 Church of San Francesco (Complejo and Iglesia de San Francisco).
- 5 Rocoleta Monastery (Monasterio y Museo de la Recoleta), Recoleta 117 (On the western bank of the Rio Chili). Built in 1648 for the Franciscan order, the Recoleta monastery stands out for its high bell tower in white and red bricks. It contained 7 cloisters of which 4 remained. There is an adjoining library with about 20,000 volumes. Other rooms are used as a museum. One exhibits Inca and pre-Inca objects, funeral masks, totems, fabrics, mummies and a series of paintings depicting emperors. In another room, costumes worn by natives of the Amazon brought to Arequipa by Franciscan missionaries are exhibited.
Entrance 40 S /., Guide 5 S /. Founded by the Dominican order in 1579, the convent of Santa Catalina is the most evocative of the religious monuments of Arequipa and also of the whole Civil architectures
- 6 House of the Moral, Calle Moral 318. Built in 1773, this aristocratic mansion in Baroque-Moorish style owes its name to a more than 100-year-old mulberry tree that stands on the patio. What makes La casa del Moral unique is its magnificent entrance portal in richly carved stone. The visit to the interiors offers the opportunity to relive lost colonial atmospheres in the best possible way. Imposing carved wooden doors open onto halls furnished with period furniture. The walls of the rooms are decorated with oil paintings by local artists of the school of Cuzco (Escuela Cusqueña). A second patio with walls painted in an intense cobalt-blue color opens at the back of the house.
- 7 Tristan del Pozo House, Calle San Francisco 108, ☎ 51 54 212 209. It dates back to 1738 and was the residence of General Domingo Carlos Tristán del Pozo. After him, several owners took turns, including bishop Manuel Yllana. Today it belongs to Banco Continental. Like other aristocratic mansions in Arequipa, what is striking is the carved stone portal. The house has a rectangular plan and includes 5 patios.
Museums
- 8 Museum of Andean Sanctuaries - UCSM (Santuarios Andinos Museum of the Universidad Católica de Santa María), Calle La Merced 110. The collections include artistic objects from the Inca period found on the slopes and peaks of the volcanoes around Arequipa. The highlight of the museum is the mummy of a sacrificial victim of Inca priests. It is the body of a girl found in September 1995 in perfect condition under the ice that covers the summit of Mount Ampato at over 6,000 meters above sea level. The mummy was given the name of Juanita in honor of the head of the scientific expedition that found it, Professor Johan Reinhard of the National Geographic Society. It was found that Juanita was buried under the ice for 550 years and that she was 13 when she was sacrificed. The mummy was placed in a crystal-walled freezer for visitors to view.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
Traditional markets
- 1 Mercado San Camilo, Calle San Camilo.
How to have fun
Shows
- 1 Estadio Monumental de la UNSA.
Night clubs
- 2 La Casona Forum, Calle San Francisco 317.
- 3 Museo del Pisco AQP, Calle Moral 229, ☎ 51 959 753 324.
Mon-Thu 17: 00–00: 30, Fri-Sat 17: 00–01: 30, Sun 17: 00–00: 00. Cocktail bar.
Mon-Thu 17: 00–00: 30, Fri-Sat 17: 00–01: 30, Sun 17: 00–00: 00. Cocktail bar.Where to eat
Where stay
Moderate prices
- 1 Hostal La Casa de Melgar, Calle Mariano Melgar No. 108, ☎ 51 54 222 459. The most fascinating and most romantic of the economic hostals in the historic center is housed in a historic colonial building built in "sillar", the local white stone. It was the residence of the bishop of Arequipa. The complex is divided into three patios. The rooms, 30 in all, are large and those on the ground floor have a vaulted ceiling. Reservations are required due to the reputation of the hostal.
- 2 [link not working]Hostal Tambo Viejo, Avenida Malecon 107 (Socabaya), ☎ 51 54 288195, @[email protected].
- The Casa de Mi Abuela, Jerusalén 606, ☎ 51 54 241 206, fax: 51 54 242 761. Family-run 50-room "hostal". Very friendly staff. It has a tiny pool and a laundry service. It also provides sightseeing tours in the region around Arequipa. It is very well known which means that it fills up easily. Reservations are therefore recommended.
- 3 Hostal La Reyna, Calle Francisco de Zela 209 (corner Santa Catalina), ☎ 51 54 286 578. La Reyna is the cheapest of the hostals in the center, a meeting place for young people from all over the world who travel with a sleeping bag. In addition to the beds in the dorm rooms offered at something like 2-3 euros (year 2009), the hostal has a couple of rooms under the terrace with their private bathroom which cost a trifle more, about 5 euros including taxes. La Reyna is one block from the Santa Catalina monastery, away from the hubbub of bars and nightclubs that populate the neighborhood around the plaza Mayor. Like the other hostals listed above, it is hopeless to find a place there unless you have booked in time.
Average prices
- 4 La Maison d 'Elise, Av. Bolognesi 104 (On the western bank of the Rio Chili, Yanahuara district), ☎ 51 54 256 185, 51 54 253 343. A hotel complex consisting of small houses scattered in a well-kept park with a small swimming pool.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- 3 Colca Canyon - A deep gorge formed by the Rio Colca north of Arequipa. The valley has a varied fauna and its skies are populated by condors that can be easily seen from the point called "Cruz del Cóndor".
- 4 Toro Muerto - Name of a place near the village of Corire, where numerous rock inscriptions have been found. The site extends for 5 km between suggestive volcanic landscapes. It is believed that the authors of the inscriptions were the Huari who lived in the region during the 11th century.
