Having enjoyed a relaxing few days in the smaller towns of Paracas and Nasca, it was time to move on to Arequipa, a city of more than 700,000 residents. I’d heard good things about the colonial architecture and cultural sites. Again choosing the overnight bus, I arrived quite early into the terrapuerto 2 km from the city center. My taxi driver offered to help me find a hostal even though I had one in mind, but didn’t have an address. Without luck and after driving around for 30 minutes I had him drop me off near the Plaza de Armas where I was bound to find a place to stay. Enjoying the first hour of a beautiful day in Arequipa, I stumbled upon Casablanca Hostal less than a half block off of the Plaza. I negotiated a rate closer in line with what I was willing to pay and settled in. Discovering that I had a 20’ wide balcony fronting the street with views of the colonial arcade of the Plaza, I was quite thrilled with the accommodations I’d found. As I’ve done in many other towns and cities along the way, I spent the rest of the day exploring the streets, sampling some of the cafes, enjoying a post-wedding procession around the Plaza and getting a preview of my stay in Arequipa.

Plaza de Armas in Arequipa with the volcano el misti in the backgroundMy day started off with a wake up call from the trumpet section of what I would discover to be a weekly/Sunday military & flag raising ceremony held steps from my hotel lobby. After a nice breakfast at one of the many cafes on the 2nd level overlooking the cathedral and fountain I was feeling up to a cultural activity and decided to go check out the Museo Santury, a museum dedicated to the finding of a young Incan girl just 15 years ago. Nicknamed (by the mountaineer who discovered her) Juanita, the Ice Maiden, the girl had been found near the top of a volcano not far from Arequipa. Over 500 years had passed before an eruption had caused her to be thrown from her sacrificial grave 100 meters down the mountainside. To this day she is frozen in the state of her death. Being exposed for 2 weeks before being found, the blanket which was wrapped around her upper body had been thrown aside and the skin of her face and neck had been damaged slightly. Since 1993, 18 children in total have been found near mountain tops, 14 in Peru and 4 in Argentina. There is still some mystery as to what happened, but the Incas believed that sacrificing a pure being to the mountain would fend off natural disasters such as volcano eruptions, avalanches and devastating weather caused by the peaks. The children were dedicated from birth and knew of the sacrifice that they would one day make. I really found this interesting, especially given the recent date of discovery and the circumstances involving the findings.

this guy enjoyed the parade as much as anyoneWith the deep Spanish history of Arequipa I was interested in seeing one of the many grand mansions in Arequipa. Of the choices, Casa de Moral seemed the most accessible being open to the public and just a few blocks from my hotel. Approaching from the opposite site of the street, the façade was not all that impressive with just a few windows and the main structure being built of a volcanic rock so typical in Arequipa. Entering through an arched opening an impressive interior paved courtyard with several trees allowed light into every room of the house. The spaces were preserved and decorated with furniture from the late 1800’s, beautiful pieces that were constructed to last for many lifetimes. The house had undergone a few renovations as a result of earthquakes that rocked the region from time to time, but the final restoration resulted in a fantastic time piece in history. As in many of the Spanish cultures the areas I appreciated the most were open to the outside environment and there was no shortage of grand courtyards and light filled niches. Knowing that I had one more day in Arequipa, I’ve decided to save the big tourist draw for the city for my last day of two separate trips, the Monasterio Santa Catalina. You can find my thoughts here.

interior courtyard of Casa de Moral