Plaza de Armas

Most city tours begin at the lookout and church in Yanahuara, the neighborhood on the other side of the Río Chili. We recommend, however, starting at Arequipa’s elegant Plaza de Armas. The horizontal, white facade of the neoclassical cathedral stretches almost as long as a football field, with a pair of pointed bell towers, ornate square windows, and huge columns. Portales, or arcades, take up the other three sides of the square, which overflows with palm trees, flowers, and fountains. La Catedral (tel. 054/23-2635, 7–11:30 a.m. and 4:30–7:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 6:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 4:30–7:30 p.m. Sun., free, guides work for a tip) is framed on both sides by volcanoes—Misti to the right, Chachani to the left—and is most beautiful in the afternoon when its front is stained orange by the setting sun. It was begun in 1544, partially destroyed in the 17th century by earthquakes and then completely burnt in an 1844 fire. Then it was built in its present neoclassical style and outfitted with one of the largest organs in South American (imported from Belgium) and a carved wooden pulpit that is supported by a swimming, serpent-tailed devil.

On an opposite corner of the plaza is the La Compañia (Thomas Álvarez and General Moral, tel. 054/21-2141, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 3–6 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 3–6 p.m. Sat., 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 5–6 p.m. Sun., $2 for chapel), which was founded by the Jesuits in 1573, though the present building dates from 1650. The large church, with threes naves and a cupola, is best known for its mestizo facade and its Chapel of San Ignacio de Loyola, decorated with works from the Mannerist master Bernardo Bitti (1550–1610). The nearby sacristy contains vivid murals of jungle plants and animals, a sort of visual introduction for missionaries being prepared for the Amazon. The Jesuits’ minor cloisters—now a crafts market—lie a few doors down General Moran Street. There are gargoyles depicting figures from pre-Inca cultures and, in the adjacent major cloisters, elaborately carved columns with mudéjar designs.