AREQUIPA

AREQUIPA CITY

Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 904,931 it is the second most populous city of the country. Arequipa lies in the mountains, at an altitude of 2,335 meters (7,661 ft) above sea level; the former snow-capped volcano El Misti overlooks the city.

The city has many colonial-era Spanish buildings built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock, from which it gets the nickname La Ciudad Blanca ("The White City"). Reportedly, it first acquired this nickname in the colonial era, because most of its inhabitants were Creole of Iberian descent. The historic centre of Arequipa was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, in recognition of its architecture and historic integrity.

Soon after its founding, the city became a major commercial hub of southern Peru, accumulating commercial and administrative functions. In times of the Viceroyalty of Peru it was an important economic hub in southern Peru. It played a significant role in the history of the Republic of Peru, declaring itself "Capital of the Republic" during the government of Montero. Arequipa has also been home of many of the outstanding intellectual and political figures, as well as religious icons, in the country. In recent decades it has become an important industrial and commercial center in Peru, now being the second most industrialized city in Perú.

It has several industrial parks, as the city has close trade ties with Chile, Bolivia and Brazil; it also has links with cities connected by the Southern Railway and with the port of Matarani.

Name

There are various traditions about the name, said to come from the Quechua or Aymara languages. One tradition says that the Inca Mayta Capac received a petition from his subjects to reach the valley of the Chili. They requested permission to stay in the region, because they were amazed by the beautiful scenery and mild climate. The Inca responded, "Ari qhipay" (in Quechua: "Yes, stay"). This was the etymology described by a Calancha father, which was translated by J. Ignacio Gamio.

Another version was that of the missionary Padre Blas Sailing and the 16th century Peruvian historian, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. They said that the name came from an old dialect of Aymara. Ari qquepan (literally, way of war horn) was named after a marine snail which the Indians used as a horn. In English the phrase means "trumpet sound".

Juan de la Cruz Salas y Sanchez and the historian Ernst Middendorf proposed an etymology that recognized the area was settled by people of highland (Aymara) origin. They contend the name is derived from Aymara, with the phrase ari qhipaya; ari (acute, sharp or pointed) and qhipaya (behind), meaning "behind the bill," referring to the volcanic cone of El Misti, Arequipa, which dominates the skyline.

The Incas believed Cuzco to be the center of the world. They referred to the area of Arequipa as the "land or place behind the volcanoes", or other location behind the mountains, or ariq qipao.

Climate

The climate of Arequipa is warm and rather dry all through the year. Arequipa lies alongside the southernmost tip of Peru's Desert Coast and enjoys plenty of sunny weather, with daytime temperatures rarely dipping much below 20 °C (68 °F) or thereabouts.

However, by night, temperatures in Arequipa can drop sharply, particularly in June, July and August, when evening temperatures hover around 10 °C (50 °F), and at times fall to 5 °C (41 °F).

History

On 15 August 1540, day of the Virgin of the Assumption, is founded the Villa de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora del Valle Hermoso de Arequipa by Lieutenant Governor Garci Manuel de Carbajal, on the left bank of the River Chili.

Arequipa is located in the southwestern part of the country and is the second biggest city of Peru, with a population of almost one million. It is the largest city in the Peruvian Andes. It is also the capital of the department of Arequipa, 1,000 km from Lima. The city sits at an altitude of 2,335 meters above sea level in a mountainous desert in the western Andes, at the foot of El Misti volcano.

El Misti is currently inactive, but had strong eruptions between the years 1438 and 1471. It is located between two small volcanoes, Chachani and Picchu Picchu. Both names come from the Quechua language from the Inca Empire. Arequipa has more than 80 volcanoes nearby, most of which can be found in the Valley of the Volcanoes. Unfortunately the city was built on a very earthquake prone area, and was completely destroyed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions during the 17th century.

There is archaeological evidence of the Aymaras from the pre Inca period in Lake Titicaca. During the 15th century, the region occupied by the Aymaras was conquered by the Incas and served as an important provider of agricultural products for the Inca Empire. One explanation of the name is that the Aymara named the city Ari, which means "peak", and quipa, "to lie behind". Therefore, the name Arequipa means "The place that lies behind the peak (Misti)".

The modern city of Arequipa was founded on 15 August 1540 by Garci Manuel de Carbajal, an emissary of the conqueror Francisco Pizarro. A year later King Charles V of Spain gave it the rank of city and the coat of arms that it still bears.

On 21 July 1821, Don José de San Martin declared Peru’s independence from the Spanish colony, and during the 19th century Arequipa housed many Peruvian nationalists. During this period Arequipa became known across the continent as a land of leaders, and for the courage of the Arequipeñan rebels.

Its colonial buildings were erected in sillar (pearl coloured volcanic rock) which was used abundantly throughout the city, giving it the nickname of "The White City". The historic centre was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in December 2000 due to its architecture and historical integrity. “The historic centre of Arequipa is an example of ornamental architecture, representing a masterpiece of the European creative coalition and native characteristics.” “A colonial village challenged by the conditions of nature, indigenous influence, the process of conquest and evangelization as well as spectacular natural scenery.”

The White City of Arequipa has become the centre of economic growth in the south and is one of the most important milk producers in the country. This has allowed Arequipa to develop and grow in population and change over the years. In the mid-20th century there was an influx of immigration from the highlands and mountain areas, and now Arequipa’s population is a mixture of Spanish, indigenous and mixed.^[2]

Geography

Panoramic from Chilina, area near at forest of the same name, in it is the Canyon and the Chili valley, on the first is crossed by the river that takes the same name to go through the city.

The city of Arequipa is located in the southwestern part of the country, between the coastal area of the coastal desert and the spurs of the western Andes. It possesses a series of volcanic cones such as "El Misti", "Chachani" and "Pichu Pichu". Its territory is rugged due to the presence of the Andes in the west of the continent, and is characterized by thick layers of volcanic lava that cover large areas of its geography. There are low-lying plains and dunes that are features. Particularly beautiful and developed are those seen on the plains of Majes, Sihuas and La Joya.

The city is located at an altitude of 2328 m; the lowest part of the city lies at an altitude of 2041 m. in El Huayco and Uchumayo. The highest point is located to 2810 m. The city is crossed by the River Chili from north to south.

Demography

The agglomeration of Arequipa, according to INEI references, is composed of 13 continuous and densely populated districts that concentrate 95.31% of the metropolitan population. The population of the conurbation is 783,165 inhabitants.

Metropolitan Arequipa has a metropolitan population of 821.692 inhabitants, equivalent to 71.31% of the population of the department of Arequipa. This is 95.07% of the population of the province of Arequipa and 3.00% of total population of Peru, making it the largest city in southern Peru and the second most populous.

Economy

The contribution of the city of Arequipa to Peru's GDP is 5.7% (74.2% of GDP in the Arequipa region), being the second highest in the country.

According to recent reports on the American Economy it is the "City with greatest economic growth in Latin America," presenting a percentage change in GDP per capita of 66.1% in the period 2003-2008. Also in the 2007-2008 period it was the city with the highest percentage change in GDP in Latin America with a variation of 9.59%.

The city of Arequipa has certain characteristics which give it economic importance, among which are:

It has an important administrative, agricultural, commercial, financial and industrial role in the area of international trade.

It is the city of greatest economic diversification in the country.

The city of Arequipa contributed 74.2% of the 7.7% of GDP provided by the department of Arequipa in national GDP.

It concentrates 42% of the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in the southern region, generating 52% of the regional SAP, and SAP has the largest trade amounting to 50,000 workers.

The city of Arequipa from the 20th century has developed industries related to the primary sector and the alpaca and wool industries, providing a center of exchange and mediation in the southern Andes, and serving as a link between the coast and the mountains.

The city of Arequipa, in the "Specialized Household Survey on Employment Levels 2007", is the city after Lima with the largest number of people economically suitable for work amounting to 625,547 people, and the most economically active population (PEA) which amounts to 376,764 people. In the same survey the city of Arequipa has a rate of work activity above the national average.

The economically active population is distributed as follows: quarrying activities (7.1%), manufacturing (12.9%), construction (4.8%), trade (23%), non-personal services (36, 6%), personal services (11.4%), households (4.1%).

The city shows high percentages of income. The income from the PEA of Arequipa is located above the national average. The city is one of the cities with highest earnings in Peru, together with the city of Cajamarca, Cusco, Metropolitan Lima and Puno; these four cities and Arequipa are above the Peru average.

Industry

Villa Medica towers in the José Luis Bustamante District  The city's industrial sector has the highest level of diversification, and Arequipa is the second most industrialized city in Perú, product of the Industrial Park that was established during the first government of Fernando Belaúnde Terry. After two major earthquakes, in 1958 and 1960, with the Law of the Committee for the Rehabilitation and Development of Arequipa, the Industrial Park was built with two or three factories at that time, and the Yura Cement factory.

The city's industrial sector comprises industrial parks which include the (for large and medium enterprises), the "Industrial Park APIMA" (small enterprises) and the "Industrial Park Rio Seco" and industrial areas in the Alfonso Ugarte avenue, in Uchumayo, and in the North.

Currently in the Arequipa Industrial Park there are over 150 companies, including: Alicorp SAA, Processed Foods SA, Laive, La Iberica, Manuel Muñoz Najar, Bin Pan SA, Consorcio Industrial Arequipa SA, Omniagro, Backus and Johnston, Corporación Aceros Arequipa, etc. Also in Arequipa is a well-developed cotton textile industry as well as alpaca and wool factories represented by: Francky and Ricky, Michell & Cia, and IncaTops.

Tourism

Tourism is an important economic factor for Arequipa, the third most visited city in Peru. 1,217,254 people visited Arequipa in 2008, 290,983 of whom were foreign (23.9%). It is the third most visited city in Peru after Lima and Cuzco.

People who visit this city can admire the colonial architecture in the historical center of Arequipa, the magnificent Inca terraces in the countryside surrounding districts, and a very extensive landscape, product of human and nature creation, an important factor in its declaration as Cultural Heritage Humanity.

Arequipa Travel Guide and Colca Canyon Travel Guide include first-hand information for a visit, with the best selection of hotels and tours.

Historical architecture

The city was founded on 15 August 1540 by several Spanish conquistadors, in a valley formerly inhabited by successive pre-Hispanic cultures, who provided the place names of the city and its surroundings. Opposite the Spanish trace survives the nearest Indian village (now suburb of San Lazaro).

The role of the "sillar", (volcanic rock) began in the last third of the 16th century. This volcanic stone, pearl or pink in color, free, inexhaustible, soft, light, thermal, aesthetic and weatherproof, emerged as a seismic structural solution. Sillar was not used much in the early years, except for the covers of the main church and some houses. The original Arequipa was built with adobe, masonry, sticks and straw roofs or mud pie. Houses of this type were made until the 19th century and were common in the 18th century; some remain in the original district of San Lazaro. Later came the brick and tile houses, as found in the Monastery of Santa Catalina. The cataclysm of 1582 settled these systems and raised the issue of earthquake reconstruction. It appeared then that sillar was the prime structural solution.