Arequipa - the "White City"

We spent two days in Arequipa, Peru, mainly to help us acclimatize.  We went from sea level in Arica to about 1800 feet in Tacna to an elevation of over 7,600 feet at Arequipa.  We had a 6 hour bus ride from Tacna, comfortable seats, snack of sweet pastry and sweet soft drink, 3 action films on the TV ( The Indestrucatbles, etc. - 2 in English with Spanish subtitles, one in Spanish, no English subtitles).

Arequipa was a very nice experience.  First of all, the hotel Los Tambos, and the staff were great - all English speaking, very friendly and helpful, nice location, great gourmet breakfasts) and the city has some beautiful colonial architecture and a certain joie de vivre.  It was at the forefront of the Peruvian food rennaisance, and has lots of outstanding restaurants. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru, but with only a tenth of Lima's population.

Many of the city's buildings were made of silla, a white lava rock.  Hence the name "The White City".  Surrounded by three volcanoes, it sites in a precarious seismic zone.  The last major earthquake was in 2001.  A sign next to the elevator in our hotel warned not to use in case of fire or seismic events.

El Misti Volcano as Seen from the Roof of our Hotel

On Sunday, May 10, the staff at our hotel greeted me with a box of chocolates and a "Happy Mothers Day" note.  I'd mentioned I had grandchildren when we checked in, so they must have figured out I was a mother.  The plaza was full of families, with kids carrying red balloons with Feliz dia Mama on them, and people were carrying florist and cake boxes on their way to visit Mama. The Cathedral occupies one side of the plaza.  It is the longest cathedral in Peru, Originally constructed in 1556, it has been re-constructed numerous times following fires and earthquakes.

Lots of People in the Plaza

And Lots of Pidgeons.  They Sell Corn and Everyone Seemed to be Feeding Them.  Surprisingly, There Weren't Many Droppings.

 Arequipa is home to Juanita, the "Ice Maiden" (an ancestor of Frozen's Anna?), discovered by a National Geographic expedition in 1995.  The body of a young girl, a sacrifice to the Inca gods, had been almost perfectly preserved in ice for over 500 years.  A volcanic eruption melted the ice cap, and the body tumbled down the mountain slope, where it was discovered a month or so later.  The finding made the news in 1996, when the refrigerated remains and well-preserved clothing were displayed in Washington. (I saw her at that time.) And President Bill Clinton was criticized for remarking that Bob Dole was going to ask her out.  Juanita is now back home and in a museum, along with the articles buried with her on the mountain.  The body, wrapped in the clothing she was found wearing, is preserved in a glass case kept at 80 percent humidity and -20 degrees celsius.  It was an interesting tour but no cameras were even allowed inside the exhibit rooms.  (DVDs and books are available for purchase!)

We spent a couple of hours Sunday afternoon touring the Monesterio Santa Catalina.  This very large and fascinating convent was founded by a rich widow in 1580 to serve the Dominican order.  Only girls of Spanish descent were allowed to enter (at age 12) and their families paid large dowries for their four years as novitiates and and then furnished servants and upkeep for them as they remained in the convent.  Following reforms in 1870, the age limit for entrance was raised to 18 and a communal style of living was adopted.  This continued until 1969, when new quarters were constructed, finally bringing electricity to the convent.  The 50 nuns who remain (there were 200 in earlier times) now watch television, don't have vows of silence, and do service out in the world.

The Novice Cloister, With Rubber Tree

Typical Cell

The Profundis Room, Where Dead Nuns Were Laid Out.  Forbidden to be Pictured in Life, a Portrait of Each Nun was Painted After Her Death.  Photographs were  Made in More Modern Times.

An Oven, in Use Until the Mid 1900's

River Water was Filtered Through Porous Rock

Guinea Pigs Were Kept for Food.  These are Now Supposedly Pets, Although Cuy is on the Menu of Almost Every Restaurant We've Visited.

Cordoba Street.  Streets within the Convent were Named for Cities in Spain.  The Richer the Nun, the Larger the House Along These Streets

 We finished our Sunday enjoying a great Mothers Day dinner at Zig Zag, a Peruvian-Alpine Fusion restaurant with a staircase designed by the ubiquitous Gustave Eiffel.