Major Attractions In Arequipa

Museo Santuarios Andinos (Museum of Andean Sanctuaries)

The small museum’s most famous attraction is the 600 year old frozen body of Juanita, the young Inca girl who was discovered in near perfect condition on top of the Ampato Volcano in 1995. She was killed as a sacrificial offering to the mountain gods and buried in a tomb with a number of funeral offerings that are also on display in the museum, along with other ice mummies found on the mountain. The body had been encased in ice and preserved by the freezing temperatures on the 20,000ft (6,000m) peak for hundreds of years, and was found after a volcanic eruption melted the ice and exposed the tomb. The Ice Maiden is displayed in a refrigerated glass case, and analysis of her DNA has afforded great insights into the Inca culture. An interesting video documents the discovery and is included as part of the compulsory tour.

Santa Catalina Monastery

Enclosed within high walls is the Santa Catalina Monastery, an enormous complex of rooms, pretty little plazas and ornate fountains, a maze of narrow cobbled streets, chapels, beautifully decorated archways and boxes of red geraniums. The thick and brightly painted walls contain numerous cells that once housed over 200 members of the female nobility who chose to shut themselves away from the rest of the world in a life devoted entirely to prayer. Some 400 years later the monastery was opened to the world and since then visitors have been able to wander through the exquisitely finished gates and admire the valuable collection of some of the finest examples of existing Spanish American religious art that decorate the walls. Today, about 30 resident nuns live out of sight in the northern part of the complex. Noteworthy is the Orange Tree Cloister, painted a sky-blue with beautiful murals decorating the vaulted arches, as well as the huge 17th-century kitchen with its blackened walls, and the long and narrow street known as Calle Toledo, which is the oldest part of the monastery and leads to the open air laundry where the nuns washed their clothes in large jugs filled from the canal. Unlike any other church compound, Santa Catalina is a masterpiece of colonial architecture, and is the most fascinating religious complex in Peru.

The Colca Canyon

The most popular excursion from Arequipa is to the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world, and twice the depth of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. The Colca valley is extremely picturesque, dominated by huge mountains, with little villages and a distinctive traditional dress, lively market places and grand churches, green agricultural terraces hugging the hillsides and herds of wandering llamas. The Crux del Condor Lookout is the most popular viewing point and also the best place to see giant condors soaring on incredible wingspans above the dramatic depths of the canyon below. Many people stay in the quaint market town of Chivay, three hours from Arequipa, with a good range of accommodation, restaurants and bus services, and an excellent base from which to explore the region at leisure. There are many hiking opportunities in the surrounding hills and energetic travellers can hike down to the bottom of the canyon and overnight in one of the tiny Indian settlements below.