Above, a view of a few of the multiple volcano peaks constantly standing guard on Arequipa skyline.
Above and below, nighttime shots of Arequipa's Cathedral from the Plaza de Armas (Central Park).
We went on a nighttime tour of Arequipa's famous Santa Catalina Monastery. Closed to the world for hundreds of years, the entire complex, taking up multiple city blocks and basically existing as its own little city within a city, is hauntingly fascinating at night.
Today less than 30 nuns reside in Santa Catalina Monastery, but in its heyday, it housed hundreds. Its functions included churches, bakeries, schools, and libraries. Until very recently, the general public had never been allowed inside. It was originally founded by a nun who accepted new nuns from only wealthy Spanish families or from the highest-class families of Arequipa and Peru, and the lifestyle they lived within the monastery did not change much from how their own families lived outside. They all had their own private apartments, with multiples servants, and generally lived in one of the most intricately and richly decorated monasteries in the world.
Above, this was the room where the nuns were able to maintain contact with the outside world. They would talk through the gated boxes, but their visitors could not see or be seen by them. Also, all their conversations could be monitored by the senior nuns as this arrangement did not exactly afford much privacy.
Arequipa is most famous for its trademark architectural style. All of the buildings are made of the same white stone, which is quarried nearby. The stone forms from the ash that spews from Arequipa's constantly erupting neighboring volcanoes. The white stone gives off a special sparkle, especially at certain times of day, and gives Arequipa a very unique appearance.
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