Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It took the men days to carry the frozen bundle down to the village of Cabanaconde, from where she was trans-
ported, on a princely bed of frozen foodstuffs, in Zárate's own domestic freezer to the Universidad Católica (Cath-
olic University) in Arequipa to undergo a battery of scientific examinations. Quickly dubbed 'Juanita, the ice
maiden,' the mummy was given her own museum in 1998 (Museo Santuarios Andinos; see below). In total, al-
most two dozen similar Inca sacrifices have been discovered atop various Andean mountains since the 1950s.
Plaza de Armas
Arequipa's main plaza, unblemished by modern interferences (save for the ubiquitous
honking taxis) is a museum of the city's
sillar
architecture - white, muscular and aesthet-
ically unique. Impressive colonnaded balconies line three sides. The fourth is given over
to Peru's widest cathedral, a humungous edifice with two soaring towers. Even this is
dwarfed by the duel snow-capped sentinels of El Misto and Chanchani, both visible from
various points in the central park.
SQUARE
La Catedral
( 7-11:30am & 5-7:30pm Mon-Sat, 7am-1pm & 5-7pm Sun)
The history of the cathed-
ral that dominates Arequipa's main plaza is filled with doggedness. The original structure,
dating from 1656, was gutted by fire in 1844. Consequently rebuilt, it was then promptly
flattened by the earthquake of 1868. Most of what you see now has been rebuilt since
then. An earthquake in 2001 toppled one enormous tower, and made the other slump pre-
cariously, yet by the end of the next year the cathedral looked as good as new once again.
The cathedral is the only one in Peru that stretches the length of a plaza. The interior is
simple and airy, with a luminous quality, and the high vaults are uncluttered. It also has a
distinctly international flair; it is one of less than 100 basilicas in the world entitled to dis-
play the Vatican flag, which is to the right of the altar. Both the altar and the 12 columns
(symbolizing the 12 Apostles) are made of Italian marble. The huge Byzantine-style brass
lamp hanging in front of the altar is from Spain and the pulpit was carved in France. In
1870, Belgium provided the impressive organ, said to be the largest in South America,
though damage during shipping condemned the devout to wince at its distorted notes for
more than a century.
CATHEDRAL
Iglesia de la Compañía
CHURCH
