Arequipa: Altitude and Culture

        Arequipa is my favorite city in Peru so far.  We arrived here yesterday around noon, and we started exploring as soon as we got off of the plane.

        According to our tour guide, who met us at the airport, Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru, after Lima.  It is located on the border between the coastal lands and the high Andes, and it is surrounded by three large volcanoes - one of which has been active recently.  The town itself sits at 7,700 feet in elevation - which is a good acclimation point for our group considering we head to Puno tomorrow (which sits at an intense 12,500 ft).

        The first site we visited upon arrival yesterday was the Jesuit Church of La Compania - an excellent example of "Andean Hybrid Baroque" architecture, in which Andean imagery mixes with the Spanish baroque.  Andean elements in the architecture consist of local flora and fauna carved into the front retablo facade of the church.

        My favorite aspect of the Jesuit complex other than the front hybrid Baroque facade was an interior painted chapel that is nicknamed "The Sistine Chapel of Arequipa."  Check out the vibrant colors (La Capella es muy llamativo!).

"The Sistine Chapel of Arequipa" (according to our guide) at La Compania

        As we were getting on a bus to leave the historic district of town, we suddenly heard what sounded like a marching band approaching from behind the vehicle.  My classmates and I rushed out of the bus and straight into what was a full-scale parade!  The parade, which was celebrating one of the oldest markets in Arequipa (one that was founded in 1881), included dancers, bands, and floats from various merchant-guilds within the market.

        The parade was not a hands-off affair either.  There was very little distinction between the street audience and the parade performers themselves, in fact.  A few of my classmates joined in the dancing in the street, and even one of our professors participated in the dancing.  Fresh produce, Peruvian candy, and even a puppy - YES, A PUPPY - were handed to our group (the puppy was eventually returned to its handler, but we kept the produce!)

        I really enjoyed the parade because it gave our group a glimpse into the local commercial culture here - but it was also just a blast!  Regrettably, I did not take any pictures as it was so spur of the moment, but I hope to post a video sometime soon!
     
        After touring La Compania and participating in the impromptu parade, our group visited one of the oldest neighborhoods in Arequipa - Yanahuara.  This area was inhabited by upper class Spaniards in the early days of the city.  It's main square includes another Andean Hybrid Baroque church as well as an excellent view of the city.

View of Arequipa from Yanahuara lookout.  The towers of the Cathedral of Arequipa are just visible near the right of the image in the distance.

        Yesterday evening, a few of my classmates and I ventured out to the main square - the Plaza de Armas - for dinner.  We ate on a balcony with an excellent view of The Cathedral of Arequipa, an enormous sillar-stone construction.

Standing in the Plaza de Armas in front of the Cathedral of Arequipa (after we ate dinner on the square)

       
        Today, we visited the convent of Santa Catalina, which is an enormous complex that now serves a dual purpose as a historical site and an active religious establishment (16 nuns live there now).  Convents like Santa Catalina were the centerpieces of a kind of "spiritual economy" during the colonial period.  The convents owned nearby encomiendas and acted as money-lending agencies for people living in the city.

One of the cloisters at Santa Catalina.  Notice the Moorish (Muslim presence in Spain) influence on the dome in the background.  The small corner structures almost look like miniature minarets.  The Spaniards who founded Arequipa were from southern Spain, and many of them probably had Muslim ancestors.

        After visiting Arequipa - our group stopped at a museum dedicated to "Juanita" a mummified female sacrificial victim preserved on one of the icy mountain-tops close to the city.  This exhibit was an interesting social/archaeological inquiry into the nature of Juanita's death.  The consensus is that she probably volunteered to be a sacrificial victim as a young girl.  Other sacrificial victims have been found in the Andes and are currently on display or undergoing preservation work.

        The rest of our day today was very relaxed.  We ate lunch at a "Chifa" (interesting blend of Peruvian and Chinese food) restaurant near La Plaza de Armas, and then I took a much-needed three hour nap back at the hotel.  I can definitely feel the high altitude here in Arequipa, but I have been drinking lots of water to combat the frequent dull headaches I've been experiencing.

        We take a bus up to Puno tomorrow.  It's a lakefront town of about 120,00 people located on Lake Titicaca, and it's also about 5,000 feet higher in elevation than where we are now.  The next four days will see our group staying in four different places - Puno, Amantani (indigenous island on Lake Titicaca), Cusco, and Machu Picchu.

        I'm not sure when I will have the WiFi to post again, but I thank you for reading.  I've had quite the adventure here in Peru so far, but, rest assured, the best is yet to come.

       —Brock
          6 Jan 2017