Historic Centre of Arequipa
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How it came to be
Arequipa lies in southern Peru, in the valley of the Chili River. Before the Incas, groups such as the Yarabaya and the Chimba lived in the valley and farmed the desert with irrigation canals and terraces. On 15 August 1540 Juan de la Torre and Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, lieutenants of Francisco Pizarro, founded the town here by moving the settlement of Villa Hermosa de Camaná. In 1541 a royal decree of Charles V raised it to the rank of city.
The town was built of sillar, a white volcanic stone. The 17th century added the churches of San Agustín, La Merced and San Francisco and the convents of Santa Catalina and Santa Teresa, and the 18th century added mansions such as the Casa del Moral and the Casa Tristán del Pozo with Baroque portals. After the earthquake of 1582, the eruption of Huaynaputina in 1600 and the earthquake of 1784 the city was rebuilt each time in sillar, which gave it its present appearance.
UNESCO describes the historic centre as an integration of European and native building techniques, the work of colonial masters and of Criollo and Indian masons: thick walls, arches and vaults, courtyards and intricate Baroque facades. In 2000, 332 hectares of the historic centre were inscribed on the World Heritage List.
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