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Capital of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. Arequipa has many colonial-era Spanish buildings built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock, from which it gets the nickname La Ciudad Blanca (The White City). The historic centre of city was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000, in recognition of its architecture and historic integrity.
It is often said that Arequipa name comes from the Quechua phrase Ari, quepay which means Yes, here which is said to have been the response of the Fourth Inca - Mayta Capac - upon seeing the site of the great city.
Its people are kind and enjoy good conversation and relish living under the watchful gaze of their guardian volcano, Mount Misti. An added bonus is the 340 days of brilliant sun as well as the exquisite main square city, conquered by noisy pigeons, a demonstration of its hospitality.
The department of Arequipa is dominated by the Andean Mountains with the chain reaching the very lip of the continent at Atico, a coastline zone with beautiful beaches. In Chala the closest coastal point to the department of Cusco, the Incas built citadels with stone in front of the sea.
As there are huge snowcapped mountains rising high into the sky, so there are deep wounds in the surface of the Earth.
Canyons like Cotahuasi and Colca; that start out as fertile, terraced and pleasant valleys that later taper and plunge into dizzying canyons. These are some of the deepest places found on the planet, yet places where kind people live, the wind blows strongly and shrimp abound. The Lagunas de Mejia National Sanctuary is the only stopping point for over 2,000 kilometers for more than 70 species of migratory birds.
Arequipa is also famous for its diversified cuisine, full of scents and concoctions that match its magnificent landscape and towering volcanoes.
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Travel To Arequipa - Trips To Arequipa
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