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Destination ~ Arequipa
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The city of Arequipa was founded in 1540 by the conquering
Spanish, and lies at an altitude of 2350 metres.
Annual
temperatures range from 10 to 24 degrees Celsius, and better
months to visit are from June to September and the raining
season is from December to March.
Also named ‘Ciudad Blanca’ (white city), Arequipa
is Peru’s cleanest city and a lot of the constructions
are made of a pale stone. |
This amazing
place is surrounded by three huge volcanoes, Chachani (6075 metres),
picchu picchu (5425 metres) and the most famous, Misti (5822 metres).
Arequipa was
brought to the world’s attention in 1995 when a group of
archaeologists found on the summit of ‘Ampato’ volcano
(6310 metres) the intact mummy of a young Inca woman who would
have been sacrificed some 500 years ago. The maiden of Ampato,
as she has been called, can be seen displayed in a refrigerated
display case in the city museum of Santuarios Andinos Universidad
Catolica Santa Maria. Arequipa is renowned for its exquisite cuisine
and a visit to one of the traditional restaurants known as ‘picanterias’
is highly recommended.
Situated on the Plaza de Armas is the Church of La Compania
de Jesus, a magnificent church that has been rebuilt several
times although its principal construction dates from the
seventeenth century. The central and main attraction is
the Mestizo style façade, a series of ornately decorated
arches carved by the Spaniard Simon de Barrientos in 1654.
Arequipa
is famous for lovely Alpaca textiles considered one of the
world’s finest wool. Many displays of colourful sweaters,
ponchos, scarves and a variety of other knitwear can be
found throughout the city. |
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El Misti
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Overlooking
Arequipa, the great volcano of El Misti majestically stands,
often partly covered with cloud. For the more adventurous
it’s possible to climb to the summit, although the
sand and ash of its slopes can make walking an effort. The
climb takes up to ten hours and is done in two stages.
The
first to the base camp at Nido de las Aguilas (Eagles’
Nest), you will spend a night here in a rustic cabin. It
is considered best to take this climb between the months
of May and November. |
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