Inside The White City: Tales From Arequipa
Ever since we arrived in Cusco we have seen, in virtually every main plaza and next to most tourist sites, women in traditional dress holding on to a cute baby alpaca, inviting tourists to pay a fee to pose for photographs with the two of them. The baby alpaca is impossibly cute, the lady resplendently colourful, but do NOT be tempted to part with cash. The horror behind this facade is that the alpaca has been taken from its mother while it should still be suckling, and is then fed artificial milk as a substitute. Horrifically, this kills the little treasure and most of these exploited animals die in pain before they are even six months old.
Now, we’re no animal rights activists or anything but that is a horrific level of exploitation, and never in a million years would we give them any money. There’s even some here in Arequipa, where the alpacas are more than 1,500 metres below the level at which they naturally live.
Arequipa sits at “only” 2,300 metres above sea level, so although winter is advancing the chill wind of Cusco evenings has gone, and, as winter in these parts equals dry season, the days bring unbroken sunshine from dawn till dusk. From our apartment’s vantage point in the elevated neighbourhood of Yanahuara, the city looks regal, its famed white buildings glinting in the endless sun. The whiteness of Arequipa gives the city an appealing look but is borne out of practicality.
Surrounding Arequipa is a series of volcanoes of varying sizes, of which two of the largest, Misti and Chachani, have issued the white volcanic rock known as sillar for centuries. Suitable as a sturdy and resilient building material, sillar has been utilised throughout history in the construction of many of the city’s buildings and features, including the splendid arches of the Mirador of Yanahuara a short walk from our apartment.
Heading out for our first full day’s exploration, we make a bee line for what is probably Arequipa’s most famous, not to say most intriguing, feature. The Monasterio de Santa Catalina prompts some serious debate on several different levels – we enter through its ancient doorway by activating its electronic turnstile, an unlikely combination in itself, to find ourselves lost in a different world. Huge blank walls hide Santa Catalina from the world, then once inside there is a multitude of reasons for intrigue.
The first one is practical: what at first feels like a small enclave turns out through twisting alleys, wider streets and unexpected plazas, to be a city within a city, which somehow feels infinitely larger than the outside perimeter would suggest is possible. An eclectic mix of streets named after cities in Spain, living quarters ranging from spartan to luxurious, manicured gardens and a large quantity of stone ovens rub shoulders with chapels, altars and galleries of religious artwork.
Here there is a large bakery, next a penance chamber where thorns, nettles and ropes were used during prayer; an austere stone confessional is yards away from a comparatively elegant dining room.
Inside Santa Catalina
Damaged by numerous earthquakes over the centuries, each subsequent repair and extension was completed in whatever was the contemporary architectural style, giving this hidden citadel an accurate parallel narrative on the changing look of the city outside. The nuns of Santa Catalina enjoyed for centuries a reputation as master bakers, providing and selling to generate funds bread, cakes and pastries of quality to the outside world, hence the many ovens within the complex. As you wander through the labyrinthine sections, you can’t miss the black smoke stains on walls above the ovens, still telling the story of life in a hidden world.
And then we start to read the history of Santa Catalina, which simply serves to increase the sense of the weird. Inaugurated in 1579, the monastery – it’s called a monastery but was exclusively the domain of nuns – was a place of utmost secrecy for a remarkable 391 years. In all that time only a handful of outsiders were ever allowed in, until the first partial opening to the public in 1970. A handful of nuns still reside to this day in one corner of the 20,000 square metre complex, but the rest remains a creepily unchanged reminder of its unusual past.
Yet the most intriguing story unfolds as we move through the different living quarters. There was, for centuries in this secret city within a city, a bruising hierarchy, all in the name of devout faith, whereby some of the nuns with a previous life of wealthy standing, used novice nuns as skivvies and maids, treating them with disdain and disrespect. This was a two-tier class system which seems utterly counter intuitive to a life of shared pious obedience. Doesn’t it? Incidentally, when one renowned Bishop attempted to intervene in the politics of this hierarchical enclave, it was he who lost his job.
Living quarters
From Santa Catalina, the streets of Arequipa open out into the majestic Plaza de Armas dominated on one side by the large and beautiful cathedral, its twin towers forever allowing the sunshine to embolden its sillar exterior. Elsewhere amongst the palm trees in the elegant plaza, restaurant touts thrust menus in front of our faces, tat sellers show us what we don’t want to buy and another woman in traditional dress holds another baby llama on a lead. Yet the plaza is a meeting place too, where families chatter, friends embrace and university students sit with notepads poised.
In and around the streets of the city, quaint courtyards hide behind understated entrances, often providing delightful surprises such as the former Jesuit college with its ornate masonry where we take lunch one day. Arequipa is indeed elegant as per our first impressions, but is also a modern city, with the type of shopping streets and malls which can be seen anywhere – so much so in fact that we find ourselves delighted that we aren’t in the centre, but instead in the neighbourhood of Yanahuara where the more unassuming plaza gives great views across the city through those mirador archways.
Former Jesuit college, Arequipa
Oh, by the way, do you remember that we mentioned that Peru grows 3,500 varieties of potato? Well, here’s a few market stalls sporting just some of those varieties in different sizes, shapes and colours…..
The volcanoes and mountains which surround the city create a constant, relaxing vista, enhanced by the white caps of snow which are visibly advancing downwards day by day, giving something tangible by which to measure the onset of winter. It’s still very warm during the day even as the snow advances, an incongruous mix for us English, unaccustomed as we are to extremes.
Before arrival here we had earmarked Arequipa as our “regroup” point, a chance to pause from the adventures, take a bit of time out, catch up with those essential issues like laundry, admin etc. In our comfortable apartment in Yanahuara with its relaxing views across the city, we’ve done just that.
Now, it’s back to adventure as we head into an even longer stretch of even higher altitudes than we have so far experienced, into the Colca Canyon and then on towards Lake Titicaca.
It’s time to get the coca tea and coca candies out again……
24 Comments
Andrew Petcher
I enjoyed the post and the pictures.
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Andrew.
Heyjude
You find the most interesting places to visit and explore. Santa Catalina is very colourful – and I reckon my garden is something of a ‘penance chamber’! But oh, those shameful nuns. Not to mention the alpacas.
Phil & Michaela
What a strange place – just imagine how practices would evolve if you’re shut off from the world for nearly four centuries. However extreme life is, it’s long since become normalised. And thank you for your first sentence, much appreciated Jude.
Jenny Woolf
Fascinating as usual… And thanks for the heads up about the baby llamas. The night time picture of Plaza de Armas is beautiful, and I’d not only love to see it larger but also want to see some of the other photos too ) lo Ike the potatoes!) so I think I need to look at this and several previous posts on the large screen of my PC and not the phone! Thanks.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you so much Jenny. Hopefully a closer look on a bigger screen will be even better. This has been a wonderful trip so far, Peru really is a terrifically rewarding destination.
Monkey's Tale
I don’t remember baby llamas in Cuzco, only adults, horrible if that’s what they’re doing now. But read up before going to the witches market in La Paz. It’s really horrifying.
Phil & Michaela
There’s plenty now, unfortunately. Yes we’ve read some stuff about that market in La Paz – but of course curiosity has already got the better of us and we’re definitely intending to go!
Monkey's Tale
Oh you have to go. It’s on the edge if Old Town so you’ll likely see it often. We have a good hotel there if interested I can look up the name.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you…funnily enough we’ve just booked our bed in La Paz..but tell me anyway just in case 😌
Helen Devries
Shameful ill treatment of animals…..poor little mites.
From what one gathers, convents were ever such…..dumping ground for daughters of the rich, while the daughters of the poor slaved for them.
Arequipa looks like a lovely town….and is not just a ‘museum piece’.
Phil & Michaela
No one knows what goes on behind closed doors, as the song went. Especially after nearly 4 centuries. As I said to Jude, the extreme must have been normalised over and over. So many different aspects to this country though, nearly every day has been interesting and we’re more than 5 weeks in.
Eha Carr
I am totally amazed at your post and somehow find it difficult to believe that I am reading something so new to me altho’ I have been interested in geography, culture and travel all my life. Find the centuries old presence and story of Santa Catalina absolutely fascinating – oh the poor nuns baking at those open kitchens – how burningly hot it must have been there and how many accidents must have occurred! And in the present day – I had never heard of all these types of potatoes or seen a fruit stall so richly endowed . . . thank you as before for the ‘lesson’!
Phil & Michaela
You know, Eha, we’ve been in the overly humid rainforest, on desert dunes, in vibrant cities, feeling ancient cultures…now we’re up in the mountains where nighttime temperatures are below zero and the air is so dry that it’s classed as both desert and high altitude. All in one country without travelling too far. Amazing, really.
Lookoom
I’m glad you liked Arequipa, it’s not too big a city like Lima, nor is it dominated by tourism like Cusco, just a normal city. My hotel was on the Plaza de Armas, and from morning until late at night, I could follow the local life. There were elections coming up and the candidates came there regularly, adding a little more excitement. The fashion was to show a giant pencil to illustrate their priority for education I suppose.
Phil & Michaela
A giant pencil. Blimey, can’t imagine politicians in Europe sinking to such trashy gimmicks 😂😂. I think there’s probably been a shift though, the tourist influence is quite heavy in Arequipa now, the street behind the cathedral is a drab run of tourist restaurants, incursions two “Irish pubs”.
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
The anything-but-pious nuns and the people with those alpacas! Yikes. There are always new scams. Have people changed much? That’s a hard no. I very much enjoyed your photos and reading about your experiences in Arequipa, Phil. Cheers
Phil & Michaela
A hard no, especially where different levels of wealth are concerned.
WanderingCanadians
It’s heartbreaking to hear what they do to those cute baby alpacas. Not cool. Besides that, Arequipa looks like a nice and colourful city. Love the views of the volcanoes and mountains. And look at all those potatoes!
Phil & Michaela
It’s a potato fest everywhere here, but nevertheless Peruvian cuisine is absolutely delicious..!
Toonsarah
We only spent a couple of nights here but I liked what I saw of the city, though I don’t remember Santa Catalina being half as extensive – maybe not all of it was open then, or maybe we just didn’t see it all? My main memory in addition to the monastery is of Momia Juanita – did you visit her? I found her absolutely fascinating!
Phil & Michaela
We didn’t. We were going to, but then discovered that the original has been taken away for good and what is on display now is a plastic replica. The monastery though…well, what a history.
Parks and Planes
It was sad to read about the treatment of the baby alpacas! There is clearly a profit to be made from this otherwise I have to believe it wouldn’t be done. Best to not encourage – like you said – by giving money or posing for the photos!
Phil & Michaela
Horrific really. We aren’t normally judgemental about other cultures but this one is definitely worth calling out, we feel.