Category Archives: Arequipa

Enjoy your lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants overlooking the Plaza de Armas. You'll be treated to a spectacular view of La Catedral.

A year ago I had never even heard of Arequipa. Today, I just cannot stop raving about it.

We were never even supposed to go there. We were supposed to be roughing it on the Inca Trail in route to Machu Picchu, shopping with the locals and relaxing in the beautiful city of Cusco nestled deep in the Andes Mountains, then heading back to Lima for some quick sight-seeing before heading back to the States. But, alas, even the best-laid plans are not impervious to derailment. So, just a few weeks before our scheduled departure, we found ourselves delving back into the guidebooks, searching desperately for something to fill a nearly week-long gap in our itinerary.

After experiencing the unique culture and landscape of the Lake Titicaca town of Puno, learning to live like the locals on Isla Taquile, and marveling at the centuries-old traditions of the Uros people who live on floating islands, we decided to head back into an urban setting and Arequipa, located between Puno and Lima, seemed the perfect fit. After all, it was close to the spectacular Colca Canyon, which Justin desperately wanted to see, and the expansive Santa Catalina monastery, which sounded great to me.

This beautiful colonial-style city in Peru’s Canyon Country is known as the “White City” for its buildings made of sillar, a white volcanic stone (which, coincidentally, is in abundant supply thanks to the two volcanoes sitting just outside the town). Arequipa has grown into Peru’s second largest city, and its historical, colonial style downtown has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for it’s incredible architecture and historical significance. Pretty impressive for a city I had never heard of!

So when it came time to find a place to stay in Arequipa, I decided instead of going for the super-cheap, bare-bones, roof-over-your-head accommodations, this time I would look for a place with the 3 C’s: Character, Comfort, and Charm. (I usually only concern myself with one C — Cost!)

This search led me to La Casa de Melgar, located just a few blocks away from the Plaza de Armas and the Santa Catalina Monastery. After doing due diligence on my research, I was sold. This place had everything we were looking for!

1.) Character

When the hotel website equated a stay here with a stay at the Santa Catalina Monastery, I was irreversibly smitten. The style mirrors the 18th Century Spanish Colonial style of much of the town and is made of the famed sillar. Walking through the halls, passing underneath archways and vaults, gives visitors the impression they are in a monastery or a Spanish villa.

2.) Comfort

The bedrooms made me feel as though I was sleeping in a castle — or a cave! — though they were very light and airy, with windows that open outwardly and if you’re lucky, you had a room with a skylight!

They also have a delicious breakfast each morning that’s included with your room. Eggs, toast, jams, fresh fruit, coffee, and fruit juices. Don’t sleep in too late! Allow some time to savor this meal.

3.) Charm

Quaint. Cozy. Adorable. This place is downright enchanting. It was once home to Arequipa’s Bishop Miguel Segundo Ballon at the end of the 19th Century. Although it has been renovated to function as a hotel, it still maintains the intimacy of a home — despite the fact that it has open courtyards and high vaulted ceilings!

How to make it happen

La Casa de Melgar is located four blocks northeast from the Plaza de Armas at Melgar 108 Cercado. Room rates start at just over 60 USD/night and go up to around 100. You can make your reservations online or give the hotel a call directly. The staff was very friendly and eager to accommodate not only our stay, but also to help us find our way around town! The hotel staffs the front desk overnight, so you can call them anytime from anywhere in the world to book your stay at this gem in the heart of Arequipa.

What’s the best hotel you’ve stayed at around the world?

KFC: Kentucky Fried Cuy -- in Arequipa, Peru

When I was a child, my parents would always take me to Harp’s, the local pet store, after a leisurely Saturday brunch at the Bob Evan’s Restaurant.

Looking back on it now, I think the promise of visiting the animals was just a sneaky bribe to cajole me into eating the horrible food at Bob Evans. Nevertheless, I cleaned my plate and sat (relatively) patiently until it was time to go see the animals. I loved the giant Boa Constrictor (who never sold), the puppies, the kittens, the bird section, and the walls of exotic fish. The one thing I could never stand though was the guinea pig pen. Ugh. Nasty smelly little things twitching their noses and chasing each other around in circles with no real purpose in life. Why would I want such a thing for a pet? After all, they didn’t really seem to like to be held. Surely there had to be a better way to make use of these little rodents, I thought …

… and in Peru, they’ve done exactly that. Guinea pigs are anything but a household pet in the Andes, and they hold quite a prominent position in the society. This is strikingly evident when many of the religious paintings throughout Peru, including a scene depicting Jesus’s last supper with his disciples, invoke the guinea pig. In this case, Jesus broke bread and ate guinea pig with his disciples! The guinea pig was one of the Inca’s only icons that was not forbidden by the invading Spaniards.

Guinea pigs are actually indigenous to Peru, and have played a key role in the region for centuries. Known as “cuy,” they have served as religious sacrifices as well as a staple of the Andean diet. Even today, they serve as an important source of protein for rural communities. Yes — they eat guinea pig in Peru! In fact, it is estimated that Peruvians consume around 65 million guinea pigs each year! I figure some of that consumption has to come from curious travelers, though, right?

So after eating Alpaca meat in Cusco and Puno, we just had to try the guinea pig while we were in Arequipa — a city known for its spicy cuisine!

Although the taste is not that bad, it is quite the struggle to pull off what little meat there is on the bones. It’s also difficult to come to terms with the fact that you’re eating a little rodent — one that is often kept as a pet in Western cultures. And the fact that they serve it with the skull, teeth poking out, certainly doesn’t help it go down any easier.

These little guinea pigs await their fate ...

Regardless of whether or not you think you would ever eat Cuy in Peru, it is still important to understand its significance to the culture and the religious traditions of the people.

Have you ever tried Cuy? What’s your verdict?

What other unconventional delicacies have you sampled around the world?

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzOJdr90SB0

“La Nina de los Hielo,” or the Ice Maiden. Juanita, she’s called. But Juanita is not just your average mummy. In fact, she’s one of the most famous mummies in the world and one of the most popular attractions in Arequipa, Peru.

So who is Juanita, and why is she so famous?

Juanita is one of the most well-preserved mummies in the world. She was discovered by anthropologist Johan Reinhard in 1995 — an estimated 500 years after her death — atop Mt. Ampato in southern Peru, wrapped in alpaca wool near the top of the 20,700 ft. peak.

But perhaps the most significant fact about Juanita is that she was just a child, likely between age 13 - 15 at that time of her death. She is one of 18 frozen bodies of children that have been found in the Andes region. Juanita is perhaps the most cherished of these children, as she is believed to have been an Inca princess and was the only one to be buried on the summit of the volcano.

Juanita and the other children were among dozens of children selected at a young age, perhaps even before birth, to be raised as eventual sacrifices to the Inca gods. Families would have considered it an honor to dedicate the lives of their children to such a cause. And the children would have grown up in the knowledge of the importance of their purpose. Human sacrifices were made to the mountains — who were considered to be gods. When volcanoes would erupt, the Incas perceived the gods to be angry and offered a human sacrifice to calm the spirits.

Juanita’s clothing was also preserved and tells much of her status and of her experience at the time of her sacrifice. She would have been led up the mountain and given chicha, a fermented corn drink that would have sedated her before the moment of sacrifice. She was wearing a veil that covered her face at the time of sacrifice. Her tunic was red, which symbolized power and indicated her family was likely upper-class. She wore mountain shoes made of llama skin and alpaca wool to help her climb the mountain. She appears to have received a traumatic impact to her skull when sacrificed. This, plus the alcoholic beverage, would have helped the sacrifice to occur as quickly and painlessly as possible for the child. Her death is estimated to have occurred between 1440 - 1450 AD.

How you can see Juanita

Juanita is on display for eight months out of the year at the Museo Santuarios on Arequipa’s Ave La Merced, just a quick walk from the Plaza de Armas. During the time she is not on display, another child mummy is brought in to replace her while she is stored at even colder temperatures. You will pay 15 soles (a little over $5 USD) to enter the museum, but you will still need to tip your guide in addition to this fee. Tours are available in several languages. The guides give a very thorough tour of the entire museum, which is kept rather dark to protect the old and vulnerable artifacts on display. Allow 45 minutes for the tour.

Juanita is certainly one of the highlights to any visit to Arequipa. We hope you’ll make time to see her when you’re there!

What’s the coolest mummy you’ve ever seen?

What to do in Arequipa? Tours to Colca Canyon, Juanita the Ice Maiden, famous mansions and countless churches. With so many choices and so much to do it can be difficult to decide and difficult to find time to rest. It was as a welcome break then that we found the Monastery of Santa Catalina, founded in 1579 by the Dominican order. This quiet sanctuary, more like a village, provides a glimpse into the lives of a group of women who for centuries have turned away from the world to a life of devotion and contemplation.

The monastery, spreading out over an entire city block, is one of the key attractions to the city of Arequipa. It is beautiful both in its architecture, boasting chapels, cloisters, archways, and tiny rooms, as well as in the insight that it provides into the lives of its past and present inhabitants. Whether you spend the whole afternoon here or only a few hours, the monastery is sure to inspire.

Key features of the Monastery

The monastery spans an entire city block

While it is true that portions are still closed to visitors, it has only been since the 1970s that the monastery has accepted visitors – the funds being used to install electricity and running water.

One of the three cloisters within the monastery, the Orange Tree Cloister, derives its name from the three orange trees in its center. It is here that the nuns re-enact the last days of Christ every Good Friday.

Each of the nuns’ cells differs from the next and each with each decorated in accordance with the financial means of the inhabitant.

Although they took vows of poverty, the nuns lived very comfortable lives as the monastery staffed servants and was well-equipped with kitchens.

Plaza Zocodovar, easily recognizable by its distinctive fountain, provided a location for the nuns to exchange handmade goods on Sundays.

The laundry provides a practical look into what life in the monastery would have been like. Here, in the center, you can see the central channel by which water was fed into 20 individual troughs. After washing laundry in a trough, the plug at the bottom would be removed and the water would drain to an underground canal.

Cordova Street, arguably the most beautiful in the monastery, was inspired by the architecture of the Andalusia region of Spain. Geraniums in terra-cota pots line the sides.

As we wandered through the convent, I had to ask what motivated these women to live such lives of seclusion. Why after all would one want to pass up the conveniences of our modern lives for such austerity? In latter part of our tour, and in their own words, this is what we found.

How to make it happen

The monastery is located at 301 Santa Catalina in Arequipa. Admission is just over $8 USD. Guided tours are available in multiple languages, but there is a certain mystique to wandering the compound independently, discovering its treasures on your own as your peer around each corner and wander down each tiny alley. Be sure to grab a map at the admissions desk, as it will identify each room and ensure that you don’t get lost! The compound is extensive, so be sure to allow 2-3 hours to explore its entirety.

What peaceful escapes within bustling cities have you discovered in your travels?