Arequipa, Peru – February 7, 2011
The overnight bus got us into Arequipa around 9 a.m., only an hour and a half later than anticipated so not bad considering we were that late in leaving Nazca. The bus was incredibly comfortable and we had lovely reclining seats and large foot rests that made it almost like a bed. It was a double decker bus and we were on the top level right at the front. The window was huge and the view would have been amazing but of course it was night time so you couldn’t see very far. Most of the group was sound asleep immediately and slept right through until morning when the lights came back on and they started playing music to wake us up. I might have dozed off a couple of times for a few minutes but that was it. Despite having taken my gravol it was a really windy route and there was quite a bit of sway so I had to keep my feet firmly planted on the floor at all times and try to keep watching the horizon. Doing the latter meant that I had a great view of the roads we were on and they were just plain scary. We went up and down and through continual corners and switchbacks. At some points we had the ocean beside us and you could just see the waves crashing in the moonlight. At other times there were steep cliffs going up or going down beside us. Sometimes we went through long tunnels that seemed too narrow to have two vehicles meeting in them. They were not finished tunnels like you would find in BC but rather ones with jagged rocks sticking out everywhere along the sides and the top. Traffic was not bad but it was mainly large trucks and other buses so big vehicles that we had to pass or squeeze by, which made the road seem even narrower. And everyone passes on solid double lines approaching curves. I guess they know the road but it was scary to a newcomer sitting on the top of a bus watching it. And of course you also have to throw in the fog that was present from time to time so you could barely see anything and the rocks that would suddenly appear on the road so you had to quickly swerve around them. It seemed like we were going very fast but I don’t suppose it was really that bad. My stomach and head weren’t liking the ride and.
We arrived in Arequipa and took a van to our hotel where we dropped our bags and quickly went for breakfast in a nearby café. Our guide took us for a quick walking tour of the city and then we were free to explore for the rest of the day. Arequipa is the Peruvian city most influenced by the Spanish and you can certainly see it in the way the city is laid out and in the buildings. It’s a very walkable city and almost everything is centered around the main square, which of course is how all Spanish towns are developed. The city sits at 2,325 metres and is surrounded by the Andes Mountains. The El Misti volcano is the highest peak at 5,822 metres and, when you can see it, it is a beautiful white snow capped mountain.
My first stop was Monesterio de Santa Catalina. The convent was founded in 1579, less than 40 years after the Spanish arrived in Arequipa. The convent is still active today but not in the area open to tours. Newer facilities are next door. The entire complex is built from sillar, a white volcanic rock that is quarried nearby. Actually most of the city is built of the same material and that is why it is often referred to as the white city. The convent was opened to the public in 1970. This monastery is on five acres of land and inside, because all the rooms and buildings are small, it’s a maze of little streets and alleys in wonderful blues and oranges and other bright colours. All of the rooms are very sparse including the chapels. They do have lots of paintings or frescoes on the tops of some of the walls in the main rooms and there are two rooms with religious paintings done by a local school. The courtyards or cloisters were beautiful and the flowers are colourful. I believe there were three such courtyards. And there was another area with a lovely fountain. I climbed up to the lookout but there wasn’t much of a view. The bath area looked like a giant Jacuzzi and the laundry area outside at the back was quite ingenious and set up so all of the nuns would be busy doing laundry at one time. The great kitchen was quite serviceable and definitely set up to handle large numbers of people; however, each of the cells where the nuns lived on their own, had clay ovens so I assume they didn’t always eat together.
From there I went back t the main square and went to the Andean Sanctuary Museum. This museum is famous for housing the remains of Juanita. In fact, Juanita was not in the museum but Sarita was. Both were young virgins sacrificed to the gods by the Incas. In total about a dozen such bodies were found in the area, all of young children who were sacrificed for the good of the people. The Ampato Volcano is over 6,000 metres above sea level and the mountain and snow sheltered Juanita for about 500 years until the nearby Sabancaya Volcano erupted and heated the surrounding area. Juanita’s burial tomb was uncovered at that time and Juanita fell down into the crater where she was discovered in 1995 by a team of scientists. Different teams of scientists went up later and found the other graves and corpses. Because of the cold conditions, the bodies were all well preserved. These young children knowingly sacrificed themselves to the gods for the good of the community and had to travel long distances and climb to great heights to make their sacrifice. The children were put to sleep first and then killed by a blow to the head while lying on the altar, according to the scientists who are studying the bodies. In Juanita’s case, she appears to be smiling and about to say something at the time of her death, in a sitting position with her arms around her knees. She looks very peaceful and was dressed in a beautiful dress. She appears to have very healthy teeth and scientists are of course trying to discover everything they can about her.
After a cool drink around the main square, I went to the San Francisco Church, which is a white brick throughout. Even the ceiling and dome are brick so it is quite over powering in total. Only the gold on the altars and lecterns, and the wooden pews present a contrast within the church. Despite the amount of white throughout it is apparent that it was/is a very rich church. There is a lot of gold around and there are large, beautiful paintings in every room and hall way. The cloisters a cool and relaxing with a wonderful breeze coming in the archways, but I don’t remember any really sensational garden in the centre. There was a huge gallery with many pieces of art including paintings, ornaments and silverware. The library has old but well protected books and documents dating from the 17th century. Everything, including the kitchen, dates from the 17th century but parts had to be restored several times due to earthquake damage with the most recent restoration in 2002.
Strangely enough I remember going into the convent Santa Catalina and the Convent of San Francisco but I don’t remember going into the Cathedral at the main square. It was a huge white sillar building and very impressive from the outside but that is all I can say. I do remember wandering around a lot of streets. Most were cobble stone and quiet narrow. Even though Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru with close to a million inhabitants, the area we were in had a very small town feel. The city was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and we were right in the old town so that might account for the small town feel. With close to a million people and being a major economic hub for the country, I’m sure there was a more modern side to the city than what I’m describing.
We ended the day by all going out for dinner. I had a stuffed pepper for an appetizer and then alpaca medallions for my main course. Both were delicious but it was way too much food. We were entertained in the restaurant by four Peruvian men in their traditional costumes and they were very talented. One played a small traditional guitar and sang. The second played a big guitar and pan flute. The third played a drum and pan flute. The fourth played several different pan flutes and regular flutes and a guitar and sang. In his case it wasn’t all instruments at the same time but generally he and the others were playing two instruments simultaneously. They were fantastic and everyone really enjoyed their music.
This last part was written last month while we were actually in Arequipa. Hopefully it doesn’t contradict anything I’ve already said.
As we left Arequipa on the morning of the 7th our local guide for the Colca Canyon gave us some history of the entire area. It was hard to follow but I think I got some of it. Basically there were five eras: Pre Inca, Inca, Colonialism, Civil War and Republic.
Different cultural groups are known to have lived in the area from around 1280. The Incas came at the end of 13th and beginning of the 14th century. The Inca nation expanded while a volcanic eruption killed all the vegetation in the area and most of the native people (non Inca) so around 1500 the Incas were the only ones left. There were many kings and at one time there was a fight between two brothers as to who would be king. The one brother killed the other and that is said to have started the curse on the Incas. The king was then captured by the Spanish in 1532 and his ransom paid in 1533 but the Incas were never the same powerful group.
Then the guide started talking about the Spanish. Cusco and Arequipa were established in 1535 but in 1542 the Spanish King officially founded or recognized Arequipa. The Spanish developed a typically European town with a main square and cathedral surrounded by four blocks in each direction of residences and businesses. The current cathedral is from 19ht century as the old was destroyed. Catholicism replaced paganism where pacha mama as mother earth was worshiped. Religion was taught by force. At one point there were over 200 native towns but the Spanish moved all of the natives into one town with a long name something like the Indian town of St. John the Baptist from X to Y where X and Y were the areas they came from. There were provinces within Peru and districts within the provinces. Peru was the base for the Spanish force in South America. 1928 was the start of some battles against the Spanish and a civil war ensued as people fought for power. This went on until the Pacific War, which was a war between Bolivia and Chile but Peru was supporting Bolivia so got involved and even lost some land over it. Some great hero pushed the Chileans back and helped save the day but I know longer remember who.
During the time of the Spanish, native and black people from Africa were slaves. In 1854 slavery was abolished. Many of the freed people left the countryside and moved to the bigger cities to get jobs and an education. A lot moved to Arequipa, which has 2 million of Peru’s 32 million people. People are still moving to the city and this of course created problems in the cities. The newcomers settled in areas around the city and these became slums. They did not have full services or facilities. Some newcomers went to work for the locals but it was hard as they didn’t know the language being used. The teachers for the slum areas were not well paid so the education was poor and Spanish was also the language for teaching so the people who couldn’t speak Spanish found it hard to learn. Social problems existed. Even today these are a problem and school is provided according to class (low, middle and high) so different standards exist. The original native languages are now dying out and will probably be lost in a few decades.
The overnight bus got us into Arequipa around 9 a.m., only an hour and a half later than anticipated so not bad considering we were that late in leaving Nazca. The bus was incredibly comfortable and we had lovely reclining seats and large foot rests that made it almost like a bed. It was a double decker bus and we were on the top level right at the front. The window was huge and the view would have been amazing but of course it was night time so you couldn’t see very far. Most of the group was sound asleep immediately and slept right through until morning when the lights came back on and they started playing music to wake us up. I might have dozed off a couple of times for a few minutes but that was it. Despite having taken my gravol it was a really windy route and there was quite a bit of sway so I had to keep my feet firmly planted on the floor at all times and try to keep watching the horizon. Doing the latter meant that I had a great view of the roads we were on and they were just plain scary. We went up and down and through continual corners and switchbacks. At some points we had the ocean beside us and you could just see the waves crashing in the moonlight. At other times there were steep cliffs going up or going down beside us. Sometimes we went through long tunnels that seemed too narrow to have two vehicles meeting in them. They were not finished tunnels like you would find in BC but rather ones with jagged rocks sticking out everywhere along the sides and the top. Traffic was not bad but it was mainly large trucks and other buses so big vehicles that we had to pass or squeeze by, which made the road seem even narrower. And everyone passes on solid double lines approaching curves. I guess they know the road but it was scary to a newcomer sitting on the top of a bus watching it. And of course you also have to throw in the fog that was present from time to time so you could barely see anything and the rocks that would suddenly appear on the road so you had to quickly swerve around them. It seemed like we were going very fast but I don’t suppose it was really that bad. My stomach and head weren’t liking the ride and.
We arrived in Arequipa and took a van to our hotel where we dropped our bags and quickly went for breakfast in a nearby café. Our guide took us for a quick walking tour of the city and then we were free to explore for the rest of the day. Arequipa is the Peruvian city most influenced by the Spanish and you can certainly see it in the way the city is laid out and in the buildings. It’s a very walkable city and almost everything is centered around the main square, which of course is how all Spanish towns are developed. The city sits at 2,325 metres and is surrounded by the Andes Mountains. The El Misti volcano is the highest peak at 5,822 metres and, when you can see it, it is a beautiful white snow capped mountain.
My first stop was Monesterio de Santa Catalina. The convent was founded in 1579, less than 40 years after the Spanish arrived in Arequipa. The convent is still active today but not in the area open to tours. Newer facilities are next door. The entire complex is built from sillar, a white volcanic rock that is quarried nearby. Actually most of the city is built of the same material and that is why it is often referred to as the white city. The convent was opened to the public in 1970. This monastery is on five acres of land and inside, because all the rooms and buildings are small, it’s a maze of little streets and alleys in wonderful blues and oranges and other bright colours. All of the rooms are very sparse including the chapels. They do have lots of paintings or frescoes on the tops of some of the walls in the main rooms and there are two rooms with religious paintings done by a local school. The courtyards or cloisters were beautiful and the flowers are colourful. I believe there were three such courtyards. And there was another area with a lovely fountain. I climbed up to the lookout but there wasn’t much of a view. The bath area looked like a giant Jacuzzi and the laundry area outside at the back was quite ingenious and set up so all of the nuns would be busy doing laundry at one time. The great kitchen was quite serviceable and definitely set up to handle large numbers of people; however, each of the cells where the nuns lived on their own, had clay ovens so I assume they didn’t always eat together.
From there I went back t the main square and went to the Andean Sanctuary Museum. This museum is famous for housing the remains of Juanita. In fact, Juanita was not in the museum but Sarita was. Both were young virgins sacrificed to the gods by the Incas. In total about a dozen such bodies were found in the area, all of young children who were sacrificed for the good of the people. The Ampato Volcano is over 6,000 metres above sea level and the mountain and snow sheltered Juanita for about 500 years until the nearby Sabancaya Volcano erupted and heated the surrounding area. Juanita’s burial tomb was uncovered at that time and Juanita fell down into the crater where she was discovered in 1995 by a team of scientists. Different teams of scientists went up later and found the other graves and corpses. Because of the cold conditions, the bodies were all well preserved. These young children knowingly sacrificed themselves to the gods for the good of the community and had to travel long distances and climb to great heights to make their sacrifice. The children were put to sleep first and then killed by a blow to the head while lying on the altar, according to the scientists who are studying the bodies. In Juanita’s case, she appears to be smiling and about to say something at the time of her death, in a sitting position with her arms around her knees. She looks very peaceful and was dressed in a beautiful dress. She appears to have very healthy teeth and scientists are of course trying to discover everything they can about her.
After a cool drink around the main square, I went to the San Francisco Church, which is a white brick throughout. Even the ceiling and dome are brick so it is quite over powering in total. Only the gold on the altars and lecterns, and the wooden pews present a contrast within the church. Despite the amount of white throughout it is apparent that it was/is a very rich church. There is a lot of gold around and there are large, beautiful paintings in every room and hall way. The cloisters a cool and relaxing with a wonderful breeze coming in the archways, but I don’t remember any really sensational garden in the centre. There was a huge gallery with many pieces of art including paintings, ornaments and silverware. The library has old but well protected books and documents dating from the 17th century. Everything, including the kitchen, dates from the 17th century but parts had to be restored several times due to earthquake damage with the most recent restoration in 2002.
Strangely enough I remember going into the convent Santa Catalina and the Convent of San Francisco but I don’t remember going into the Cathedral at the main square. It was a huge white sillar building and very impressive from the outside but that is all I can say. I do remember wandering around a lot of streets. Most were cobble stone and quiet narrow. Even though Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru with close to a million inhabitants, the area we were in had a very small town feel. The city was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and we were right in the old town so that might account for the small town feel. With close to a million people and being a major economic hub for the country, I’m sure there was a more modern side to the city than what I’m describing.
We ended the day by all going out for dinner. I had a stuffed pepper for an appetizer and then alpaca medallions for my main course. Both were delicious but it was way too much food. We were entertained in the restaurant by four Peruvian men in their traditional costumes and they were very talented. One played a small traditional guitar and sang. The second played a big guitar and pan flute. The third played a drum and pan flute. The fourth played several different pan flutes and regular flutes and a guitar and sang. In his case it wasn’t all instruments at the same time but generally he and the others were playing two instruments simultaneously. They were fantastic and everyone really enjoyed their music.
This last part was written last month while we were actually in Arequipa. Hopefully it doesn’t contradict anything I’ve already said.
As we left Arequipa on the morning of the 7th our local guide for the Colca Canyon gave us some history of the entire area. It was hard to follow but I think I got some of it. Basically there were five eras: Pre Inca, Inca, Colonialism, Civil War and Republic.
Different cultural groups are known to have lived in the area from around 1280. The Incas came at the end of 13th and beginning of the 14th century. The Inca nation expanded while a volcanic eruption killed all the vegetation in the area and most of the native people (non Inca) so around 1500 the Incas were the only ones left. There were many kings and at one time there was a fight between two brothers as to who would be king. The one brother killed the other and that is said to have started the curse on the Incas. The king was then captured by the Spanish in 1532 and his ransom paid in 1533 but the Incas were never the same powerful group.
Then the guide started talking about the Spanish. Cusco and Arequipa were established in 1535 but in 1542 the Spanish King officially founded or recognized Arequipa. The Spanish developed a typically European town with a main square and cathedral surrounded by four blocks in each direction of residences and businesses. The current cathedral is from 19ht century as the old was destroyed. Catholicism replaced paganism where pacha mama as mother earth was worshiped. Religion was taught by force. At one point there were over 200 native towns but the Spanish moved all of the natives into one town with a long name something like the Indian town of St. John the Baptist from X to Y where X and Y were the areas they came from. There were provinces within Peru and districts within the provinces. Peru was the base for the Spanish force in South America. 1928 was the start of some battles against the Spanish and a civil war ensued as people fought for power. This went on until the Pacific War, which was a war between Bolivia and Chile but Peru was supporting Bolivia so got involved and even lost some land over it. Some great hero pushed the Chileans back and helped save the day but I know longer remember who.
During the time of the Spanish, native and black people from Africa were slaves. In 1854 slavery was abolished. Many of the freed people left the countryside and moved to the bigger cities to get jobs and an education. A lot moved to Arequipa, which has 2 million of Peru’s 32 million people. People are still moving to the city and this of course created problems in the cities. The newcomers settled in areas around the city and these became slums. They did not have full services or facilities. Some newcomers went to work for the locals but it was hard as they didn’t know the language being used. The teachers for the slum areas were not well paid so the education was poor and Spanish was also the language for teaching so the people who couldn’t speak Spanish found it hard to learn. Social problems existed. Even today these are a problem and school is provided according to class (low, middle and high) so different standards exist. The original native languages are now dying out and will probably be lost in a few decades.
posted by Jayne Brooks @ 6:44 AM
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