Arequipa was our second stop on our Peruvian adventure. I didn’t know a lot about it beyond it being Peru’s “White City” (due to the amount of sillar, a white volcanic stone used in the buildings).
With an elevation of 2335m above sea level, Arequipa is also a great place to stop for a few days if you’re going from Lima to Cusco. A little time at a mid-level elavation definitely gave us time to adjust to altitude, and we didn’t really experience any altitude sickness (except for me at Lake Titicaca – but that is like… high).
Arequipa is rich in history, founded in August 1540, with lots of grandiose buildings and cathedrals from the Spanish rule in Peru found in the “historical center”.
But Arequipa’s history goes back much further than the Spanish invasion. It was in Arequipa that we started to learn much more about the Incas and their culture and rituals, with a visit to the museum housing Mummy Juanita, also known as the Lady of Ampato.
We chose to stay a bit out of the main city centre, which allowed us to really get a feel for the “real” Arequipa outside of the tourist centre. One of the most fun things we did while we were there was an early morning photo-walk with a lovely local lady, who took us through the beautiful neighbourhoods of Arequipa, and sharing stories of every day life. We started at 6am and finished around 9am, allowing us to catch some sunrise, experience rush hour in a busy Peruvian city, and admire the huge volcanoes in the morning light.
As you can see, outside of the “White City” center, Arequipa is actually a really vibrant, colourful city, and I’m really glad we ventured out of the centre and got to experience a more everyday life version of this city.
