Arequipa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents 1 Headline text 2 Name 3 History 4 World Heritage Site 5 Recent Events 6 Sister City 7 Notable people from Arequipa 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Headline text

For the cactus genus, see Oreocereus.

Coordinates: 16°23′55.76″S, 71°32′12.79″W

Arequipa
Panorama: Plaza de Armas
Flag Seal
Nickname: "La Ciudad Blanca (The White City)"
Location of the city of Arequipa in Peru
Coordinates: 16°23′55.76″S, 71°32′12.78″W
Country	Peru
Region	Arequipa
Province	Arequipa
Established	15 August 1540
Government
- Mayor	Yamel Romero Peralta
Area
- City	9,862.02 km²  (3,807.7 sq mi)
Elevation	2,380 meters m (7,740 feet ft)
Population (2002)
- City	860,000
Time zone	PET (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	PET (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	54
Website: www.munarequipa.gob.pe

Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa¹
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Peru
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iv
Identification	#1016
Region2	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	2000 24th WH Committee Session
WH link:	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1016
1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List 2 As classified officially by UNESCO

Arequipa is a large city in southern Peru and the nation's second most important city. It is also the capital of the Arequipa Region and the Arequipa Province, and is 633.8 miles from Lima. The city lies in the highlands at the foot of the snow-capped volcano El Misti. El Misti is currently non-active, but erupted strongly between 1438 and 1471. Several smaller eruptions have occurred since then, most recently in 1870. Arequipa has over 80 volcanoes which can be found in The Valley of Volacanoes. Arequipa has many fine colonial-era Spanish buildings built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock used extensively in the city, and from which it gets its nickname La Ciudad Blanca ("the white city"). The historic center of the city was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000, in recognition of its beauty and historic integrity. The center of the city is called La Plaza de Armas. The city is located at an altitude of 2,380 meters (7740 feet) above sea level, in the Peruvian Andes.

[edit] Name

It is often said that the city's name comes from the Quechua phrase "Ari, quepay" which means "Yes, stay". Nowadays one assumes that the name is from Aymara "ari" (peak) + "kipa" (locative) and means something like "near the mountain" in reference to nearby El Misti Volcano (towering 5822 meters high above Arequipa). According to another legend^{[citation needed]} this name means "sounding trumpet".

[edit] History

Archaeological findings indicate the fertile valley in which Arequipa is situated has been occupied back to 5000 – 6000 BCE. In the 15th century, the region, then occupied by Aymara Indians, was conquered by the Inca and served as an important supplier of agrarian products to the Inca Empire. The modern city of Arequipa was founded on 15 August 1540, by Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, an emissary of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. One year later, King Charles V of Spain gave it the rank of 'city' and the coat of arms that it still bears. Spanish influence left many relics and colonial architecture, which reminds the visitor of the city's colonial past, when it was the city with the highest proportion of Spanish population in Viceroyalty of Peru. This led Arequipa to develop a large Peruvian Mestizo population as its demographics changed and grew over the centuries. Since the late 1940's, however, there has been a huge and increasing immigration from the Peruvian sierra, thus changing the demographic and cultural character of the city.

Throughout history Arequipa remained relatively isolated during colonial and early republican times, but that changed in 1870 when a Southern railroad to the coastal port of Mollendo was inaugurated, opening trade via the Pacific Ocean. The building and expansion of more roads in the 1930s also led to a direct connection with the Pan-American Highway, strengthening Arequipa's links to the rest of the Americas. Since then, the city has remained the center of commerce between Lima and all of Southern Peru.

Arequipa served as a bastion of nationalism during Peru's struggle for independence from Spain in the early 19th century. Later, it served as a rallying point during the War of the Pacific (1879 – 1883) with Chile.

The city has two principal universities — the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, the local state university (founded 1828), and the Universidad Católica de Santa María (founded in 1961), a private institution.

One of Peru's largest stadiums, Estadio Monumental de la UNSA, is also located in Arequipa and hosted some of the 2004 American Soccer Cup soccer games, attracting many tourists as well as locals.

As the second largest city in Peru, Arequipa is influenced by both Andalusian and Spanish Colonial ideas and architecture, such as the popular Santa Catalina Monastery, the Goyeneche Palace and the Casa del Moral. Arequipa has many valuable archaeological and touristy resources including the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world and an ideal spot for observing the magnificent Andean Condor.

Arequipa is served by the Rodriguez Ballon International Airport.

The city is located at the foothill of three mountains.

Arequipa is dry and sunny all year long.

[edit] World Heritage Site

In December 2000, UNESCO declared the historical center of Arequipa a World Heritage Site, stating the following: "The historical center of Arequipa is an example of ornamented architecture, represents a masterpiece of the creative coalition of European and native characteristics. A colonial town challenged by the conditions of nature, the indigenous influences, the conquest process and evangelism as well as for a spectacular natural scenario."

[edit] Recent Events

Arequipa is much subjected to earthquakes: it was almost destroyed by one in 1868, and on 23 June 2001, Arequipa was badly damaged by an earthquake of 7.9 on the Richter scale. In June 2002, Arequipa was completely paralyzed for a week by strikes and riots in protest of the privatization of two regional electricity-generating plants.

[edit] Sister City

• Vancouver, Washington USA
• Charlotte, North Carolina USA, since 1962

[edit] Notable people from Arequipa

• José Bustamante y Rivero, President of Peru (1945-1948)
• Mario Vargas Llosa, Renowned writer
• Víctor Andrés Belaúnde, Lawyer, chaired two sessions of UN General Assembly
• Eduardo López de Romaña, President of Peru (1899-1903)
• Nicolás de Piérola, President of Peru (1879-1881) and from (1895-1899)
• Ana de los Angeles Monteagudo, famous cloistered nun.
• Hernando de Soto, Renowned international economist
• Mariano Felipe Paz Soldan, Peruvian historian and geographer
• Mariano Melgar, Poet, Independence fighter
• Francisco García Calderón, President of Peru (1881)
• Pedro Diez Canseco, Two times President od Perú. He was Vicepresidente in both times
• Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro, Peruvian Priest and Politician; President of Peru during two brief occasions
• Julio Granda, Chess Grand Master
• Pedro Paulet, Scientist, Peruvian engineer and statesman, The inventor of the liquid fuel motor (1895) and the first modern rocket propulsion system (1900)
• Alberto Vargas, Painter, Noted for his famous Varga Girls Collection
• Alex Olmedo, Tennis Player, Ranked #1 in the world in 1959
• Honorio Delgado, renowned Psychiatrist
• Ignacio Alvarez Thomas, Militar who fought in the independence war in Argentina. Supreme Director of the Argentine Federation from 1815-1816.
• Madeleine Hartog Bell, Miss World titleholder in 1967.
• Julio Malaga Grenet, Famous caricaturist.
• Jorge Vinatea Reinoso, Painter.
• Alvaro Gonzalo Meza Ligarda, Entrepreneur

Gustavo R. Paz-Pujalt, Scientist and inventor

[edit] See also

• Arequipa region
• History of Peru
• Spanish conquest of Peru

[edit] External links

• Arequipa travel guide from Wikitravel
• Provincial municipality of Arequipa
• White City Stories Multimedia documentary site
• (Spanish) Historic Biographical Dictionary of Arequipa
• (Spanish) Information about Arequipa
• Arequipa map including Colca Canyon
• Information about Arequipa Guide, Travel to Arequipa
• Arequipa Photos
• Collection of Arequipa and Peruvian photos from davidmetraux.com
• Home Page Arequipa, History, Images, And Travel Guide
• (Spanish) Arequipa Directory
• Information of Colca Canyon
• Cotahuasi Canyon