Arequipa -- the 'White City'

Arequipa sits in the middle of Peru's southern desert, in a green valley irrigated by the river Chili, under the shadow of the volcano El Misti. Founded in 1540 by order of Fransisco Pizarro, Arequipa is today the second-biggest city in Peru. It gets its nickname of the 'white city' from the baroque architecture made from chalky volcanic stone sillar. Arequipeños are famous among Peruvians for their fierce exceptionalism, but it's a friendly, vibrant place to visit or to stay around for a while.

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Arequipa's main square, the plaza de armas, is one of the most beautiful in South America. Venetian-sized flocks of pigeons gather around the fountain, or 'tuturutu' while people rest in the shade of palm and jacaranda trees. Nevado Chachani's triptych of snowy peaks soar behind the neo-renaissance cathedral.

 

Doves rest on intricate stonework on the facade of the Yanahuara church, Arequipa. Most of the city's grand colonial buildings are made of the volcanic stone sillar, which lends itself to carving. The 'mestizo' architecture brings together 17th-century Spanish baroque styles and the decorative touches of indigenous workers.

 

In Arequipa, 'bullfighting' refers to the peleas de toros, or fights between bulls. The tradition is for regional landowners to set their prize bulls into combat against each other, until one bull backs down -- no death required. The tradition is immortalized in this statue on the Avenida Ejercito.

 

It's known as a 'city within a city'. The Santa Catalina monastery covers several city blocks within its massive stone walls. Established in 1579 and home to nuns who take a vow of seclusion, the monastery is now open to visitors who can wander around its laberinth of cloisters, cells and courtyards.

 

The beautifully preserved and restored interior of the monastery creates a neo-Renaissance idyll, alowing visitors to imagine a hermetically-sealed world where the religious fervour of 16th-century Spain was recreated under the briliant Andean sun. The orange trees in this courtyard gives it the name of El Claustro de los Naranjos.

 

A series of frescoes adorns the archways of the monastery's inner courtyards, following the progress of an allegorical soul and painted in the anxious, mannered style of colonial Peru. As can be seen in this photo, the region's many earthquakes have damaged and destabilised the walls of sillar, which are in places patched and strengthened with brick.

 

Arequipeños are very proud of their campiña, the surrounding countryside whose neat terraces follow the river Chili and forge a swathe of green through the desert. It was the verdant tinge and sweet air of the valley that attracted the Incas and the Spanish, although these days urban sprawl is nibbling into the farmland, and air pollution trapped in a convection layer under the volcanos can leave a lingering haze.

 

The Colca Canyon and Valley

Between the peaks of the mountain ranges beyond Arequipa, the Colca river has deepened a geological rift into one of the world's deepest canyons. For a long time the Colca valley was cut off from the outside world, but it has now become a popular tourist destination. Its steep and varied terrain hosts numerous microclimates, and is dotted with little villages that preserve prehispanic traditions and livelihoods. The canyons also shelter a surprising array of wildlife, and this is one of the best places to view the world's largest flying bird-- the Andean condor --in its natural environment

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A women in the typical dress of the Cabana culture with her donkey near the village of Cabanaconde, at the rim of the Colca Canyon. She was returning to her home village of Tapay, lower down in the canyon, after selling fruit in Cabanaconde.

 

A view from the rim of the Colca Canyon, less than half an hour's walk from the village of Cabanaconde. The peaks on the far side of the canyon are up to 5,600 metres high, with the drop to 2,100 metres above sea level at the river defining the Colca's dimensions and making it the world's second deepest canyon after the Cotahuasi Canyon, which is located in an even less accessible part of the Arequipa region.

The cluster of dwellings at right centre is the village of Tapay, while those at the lower left are the village of Coshñirgua. The strips of green below are what must be some of the world's steepest agricultural terraces, where maize, beans, and onions are cultivated.

 

Near the town of Chivay, at 3,700 metres above sea level, the Colca Valley opens out into layer upon layer of tightly-stacked agricultural terraces. Used to allow irrigation and prevent erosion, the terraces were created by the original inhabitants of the Colca Valley, the Cabanas and the Collaguas, around 900 AD, 500 years before the Incan empire began to take shape.

 

The unique dress of the Cabana culture dates from the time of the Spanish conquest. The colourful dresses, hats and vests have elaborate decorative elements and are made with great attention to detail. They are a source of pride and identity for local women in particular, and although it is rare to see people dressed in a traditional way in the streets of Arequipa, in the Colca valley itself this form of dress is still the norm.

 

 

This photo gives a good idea of the awe-inspiring scale of the Colca Canyon, at one of its deepest and steepest points. The green patch at the bottom is the 'Oasis' a camping spot near the Colca river which also offers accommodation in rustic bungalows. From there, it's a three-hour trek back up to the rim of the canyon, a trip preferably taken in the early morning to avoid the heat of the day.

 

A group of trekkers in the early stages of the three-hour trek to the bottom of the Colca canyon. The sun is fierce, and the temperature rises during the long, winding descent that drops 1,200 vertical metres to the river. It's a relief to reach some shade at the bottom, and a bridge across to the hidden little village of San Juan de Chuccho.

 

 

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