AREQUIPA
Arequipa is known as the White
City. Much of its colonial buildings employed the
sillar volcanic stone, brought from nearby
quarries. It's a beautiful, talc-hued stone, which
glows ochre in the early morning or evening light.
Although Arequipa is Peru's second city, with a
population of around a million, it manages to retain
much provincial charm.
Its main square, the Plaza de
Armas, must rank among the most imposing and beautiful
in the Americas. Its fountain, benches and manicured
flower beds are hemmed by the arches of two-story
buildings on three sides, while on the fourth, the
somewhat confused-looking Cathedral vacillates between
baroque and neo-classical and back again.
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Images of Arequipa >
Toro Muerto Petroglyphs >
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