Arequipa

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Arequipa
Location in Perú	Coat of Arms



	City flag


City nickname	La Ciudad Blanca (The White City)
Founded	15 August 1540
Government:
- Region	Arequipa
- Province	Arequipa
- Mayor	Yamel Romero Peralta
Area:
- Total	9862.02.3 km²
- Subdivisions	29 districts
- Latitude/Longitude	16°23′40″S, 71°32′06″W
Population:
- Total	860,000 (2002 estimate)
Demonym	arequipeño/a
City calling code	54
Time zone	UTC/GMT-5
Official website	www.munarequipa.gob.pe

Arequipa is a 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. The city stands at the foot of the snow-capped volcano El Misti, as well as the Chachani and Pichu Pichu volcanoes in the highlands. Arequipa has many fine colonial-era Spanish buildings built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock used extensively in the construction of the city, from which it gets its nickname La Ciudad Blanca ("the white city"). The city is located at an altitude of 2,380 meters (7740 feet) above sea level, in the Peruvian Andes.

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

[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).

[edit] History

The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa (1621-1656)

El Misti seen from Rodriguez Ballon International Airport. The peak is almost bare.

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 keeps. The arrival of 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 the whole Viceroyalty of Peru. This led Arequipa to be named "The White City" (La ciudad Blanca). 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 increasing immigration from the Peruvian sierra, thus changing the demographic character of some parts 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 Tacna 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 Copa América soccer games, attracting many tourists as well as locals.

Plaza de Armas.

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.

[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."

Arequipa is served by the Rodriguez Ballon International Airport.

[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] 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)
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)
Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro, Peruvian Priest and Politician; President of Peru during two brief occasions
Julio Granda, Chess Grand Master
José García Calderón, Mayor of Arequipa, Important business man.
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
Abimael Guzman, Leader of Maoist movement: "Shining Path"
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.