Peru Travel Guide – June 2000

Arequipa, the capital of cuisine in Peru

Location
South highlands at 2,350 meters above sea level.

Climate
Sunny and dry (sun during the whole year). It’s cold at nights and the rainy season is from January to March. The temperature goes from 24°C in the morning to 10°C at night.

Landscape
Andean and mountainous. There are series of volcanoes like the Misti (5,825 meters above sea level), you can appreciate it from the city. Other highlight points of this region are the canyons, including the deepest one in the world, the “Cotahuasi Canyon” (3,354 m. or 11,004 ft.). There are beautiful valleys too like the Colca Valley, where you can visit ancient towns and watch the condors in flight.

History

The city was very important during the epoch of the Spanish colony and at the present time, the second most important city of Peru. In this city you can visit churches and mansions with colonial architecture. We can mention the Santa Catalina convent by its architecture and the brightness of its colors. You can also visit the “Momia Juanita” (a very famous mummy). It was discovered in one of the snow-covered mountains and it also has surprised the world due to its conservation state.

Customs and Festivities
The anniversary of the foundation of the city is in August. That’s why there are many festivities during the whole month. Another reason to go there is because of its cuisine, the best of the country. Outside the city, especially in the Colca Canyon, you can visit the villages in the valleys and know the way of life in the field.

Activities

In the Colca Canyon I recommend you take long walks and go camping. It would be better if you go down to the bottom of the canyon where you can practice canoeing in the river (from May to September).

The Colca Valley, valley of wonders

Perhaps one of the major attractions of the area, which led writer Mario Vargas Llosa to call it the “valley of wonders”, is its spectacular terracing, considered among the most extensive in southern Peru.

These works, which allow cultivation and meticulously controlled irrigation of the steep slopes of the canyon, were built by the Collagua and Cabana ethnic groups between the ninth and fourteenth centuries AD. The Collaguas occupied the eastern and central parts of the valley and the Cabanas settled in the lower part of the Colca. Today the inhabitants of the Colca still use some of the terraces for cultivation of corn, potatoes, broad beans, alfalfa, quinoa barley and wheat.

Another attraction of the Colca is its unique towns. Founded under orders of Viceroy Francisco de Toledo in 1570 as settlements of native inhabitants, each one has managed to maintain its original appearance despite the passing of years. Evidence of the cultural height reached during the viceroyalty are the imposing churches in Renaissance and Baroque styles raised in each town.

However, the long history of the Colca isn’t solely reflected in its ancient constructions but also, and most notably for the visitor, in the traditions zealously kept by its amicable inhabitants. The traditional clothing, still worn by the majority of women, the legends recounted by its inhabitants, and the festivals by which agriculture cycles are marked with song and dance, all reveal the history of the Colca Valley.

Another highlight point of the valley is the Colca Canyon. It’s an impressive geological formation carved out by the river as it has descended between the mountains over millions of years. This canyon is one of the deepest in the world (the deepest is in Arequipa too), it’s twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in Colorado (USA). You can descend to the river with guided tours, and practice rafting.

Lastly, the possibility of observing the flight of the condor in its native habitat, and the impressive scenery of one of the most beautiful spots on Earth, added to the attractions already mentioned, make the Colca Valley one of the most important travel destinations in the southern Andes in Peru.

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