The White City
Walk through Arequipa's UNESCO-listed historic center — carved entirely from brilliant white volcanic stone, framed by three towering volcanoes, and hiding five centuries of rebellion, faith, and mestizo art.
4.35|100 minutes|2.5 km|8 Stops
Start
Plaza de Armas
End
Barrio de San Lázaro
Tour Stops (8)
1
Plaza de Armas
The grand central square of Arequipa, framed by white sillar arcades on three sides and the massive Cathedral stretching the entire fourth side.
2
Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa
A Neo-Renaissance cathedral spanning the full length of the Plaza de Armas — destroyed and rebuilt at least five times by earthquakes, eruptions, and fire.
3
Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
A Jesuit church with the finest Churrigueresque facade in Peru — where European baroque meets Andean symbolism in stone carved to look like frozen lace.
4
Claustros de la Compañía
The former Jesuit cloisters — a two-story courtyard of mestizo stone carvings where Christian and Andean symbols share the same walls.
5
Museo Santuarios Andinos — Juanita the Ice Maiden
Home to Juanita, a frozen Inca girl sacrificed on a volcano around 1450 and discovered in 1995 — one of the best-preserved mummies ever found.
6
Iglesia de la Merced
One of Arequipa's oldest churches, founded in 1548 — a quieter, more contemplative example of mestizo baroque with stunning gilded altarpieces.
7
Casa del Moral
Arequipa's best-preserved colonial mansion, built around 1730 — with a facade covered in carved griffins, a 200-year-old mulberry tree, and Cusco School paintings.
8
Barrio de San Lázaro
The oldest neighborhood in Arequipa — cobblestone lanes barely wide enough for two people, pre-dating the Spanish founding by centuries.