Arequipa, or Ariquipa, is known as the 'cuidad blance' (white city), as many buildings in the city are made of a light-colored volcanic rock called sillar. Arequipa lies in a mountainous area and the El Misti volcano is not far from town.

The city was founded in 1540 as 'Hermosa Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción' (Beautiful Villa of Our Lady of the Assumption), but the next year, it was decided that it should be called the 'city of Arequipa'. During its history, it has been the focus of popular, civic and democratic rebellions.

Even though Arequipa is Peru's most important industrial center, there are several interesting sights. Arequipa's historical center is a UNESCO world heritage site and it features countless beautiful buildings.

Construction of the city took place in 5 different periods that were often divided by major earthquakes.

• Founding and the beginning of a town (1540–1582).
• The age of Baroque architecture (1582–1784).
• Rococo and Neoclassical styles (1784–1868).
• Empiricism and modernizing.
• Neo colonial (1868–1960) and Contemporary building styles.

Places of interest
• In the historic Old Town are countless beautiful 19th-century buildings. They were built on the sites of earlier colonial buildings that were distroyed by an earthquake in 1868. Most buildings were constructed using volcanic ashlar and have very thick walls, as the stone is quite soft. Ashlar had been used in Arequipa since the 16th century. A few colonial buildings survived the earthquake.
Squares
• Plaza 15 de Agosto.
• Plaza de Armas is the city's main square.
• Plaza España.
• Plaza Independéncia.
• Plaza Melgar.
• Plaza San Antonio.
• Plaza San Francisco.
• Plaza Santa Teresa.
Religious structures
• The Neoclassical Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa is a recontruction of an earlier cathedral. The first cathedral was built on the site in 1544 and totally destroyed by an earthquake in 1583. In 1600, when it was almost rebuilt, large parts of the building were destoyed by a volcanic eruption and another earthquake in 1604 destroyed whatever remained. In 1656 it was rebuilt once again. Several earthquakes in the 17th and 18th centuries left the church in a poor condition. Reconstruction took place from 1844 to 1847. In 2001, an earthquake destroyed the left tower, but it was rebuilt a year later. The Basilica is located in Plaza de Armas, the city's main square.
• The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco dates from the 16th century. The building is mostly made of volcanic rock known as tuff. The basilica features a museum, an art gallery and a library with more than 20,000 volumes.
• The Baroque Church of La Compañía dates from 1698.
• The Convento de Santa Catalina is one of Peru's most fascinating colonial religious buildings. Its oldest parts date from 1579, but it has been destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt several times.

Arequipa features countless museums. Some of the most interesting ones are listed here.

Museums
• The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Art) has a collection of paintings and photographs from 1900 onwards. Most of the items were produced by Peruvian artists.
• The Museo de Arqueología de la Universidad de San Agustín (San Agustin University Museum of Archaeology).
• The Museo de Arqueología de la Universidad Santa María (Santa Maria University Museum of Archaeology) is part of Santa Maria Catholic University. It features a large collection of archaeological items from local pre-Columbian cultures.
• The Museo Santuarios Andinos (Andean Sanctuaries Museum) is also part of the same university and houses many archaeological items, including Inca mummies.
• The Museo del Catedral (Museum of the cathedral).
• The Museo Municipal de Arequipa (Municipal Museum of Arequipa).
• The Museo Regional del Banco Central de Reserva (Regional Museum of the Central Reserve Bank) houses a collection of pre-Columbian and colonial art pieces. It also has an exhibition of colonial and republican coins and banknotes.
Public buildings
• Phoenix theaters.
• The Municipal Theatre.
• The Goyeneche Hospital.
• The Hospital of Priests of St. Peter.
• Bolognesi bridge.
• Grau bridge.
• TheInstituto Chavez de la Rosa.
• The Railway Station.
• The Mercado San Camilo (market).
• The Penal Fundo El Fierro is a women's prison.
• The Twentieth Century Prison.

There are numerous monumental houses in Arequipa's old city. They were mostly constructed with thick walls during the 17th and 18th centuries and many feature beautiful arches and domes. Many of these houses have been converted into museums and can be visited.

Private buildings
• Bronze Tambo.
• Casa del Alferez Flowers.
• Casa Arrospide.
• Casa del Corregidor April and Maldonado.
• Casa Iriberry.
• Casa del Moral.
• Casa del Pastor.
• Casa Ricketts
• Casa de Tristan del Pozo.
• Casona del Corregidor Maldonado.
• Casona Goyeneche.
• Casona Ugarte.
• Goyeneche Palace.
• Mint.
• Tambo de Ruelas.
• Tambo of the Loggerhead.

There are several places of interest outside of Arequipa's old town.

Suburbs
• Cayma Villa is 5 km (3 mi) from downtown. There is a 17th-century church and there are many nice taverns. Cayma Villa also features a viewpoint which offers great views over Arequipa.
• Sabandía is a valley with the most crystalline waters in the region. One of the sights there is the Sabandía mill, which was built in thw 18th century and remains operational.
• The Sachaca farm is also known as the Founder's Mansion. It sits on the bank of the Socabaya river, some 12 km (7 mi) from Arequipa. The building is open to the public.
• Yanahuara Villa Hermosa is 2 km (1 mi) from the city center. It features numerous churches built in Andalusian style.
• The thermal baths of Yura are 30 km (19 mi) from Arequipa. The baths are fed with water from inside the Chachani volcano. The medicinal sources of Jesus and Socosani are in the vicinity.

Arequipa boasts numerous nice parks.

Parks and green spaces
• Chilina Valley countryside.
• Chilpinilla Metropolitan Park.
• Parque 28 de Febrero.
• Parque Duhamel.
• Parque Ecológico Alto Selva Alegre is in the east of town. It is bordered by the Chili river. Part of the park are included in the National Reserve of Salinas Aguada Blanca.
• Fundo Paraíso is part of Parque Selva Alegre.
• Parque Grau.
• Parque San Lazaro.

Not far from Arequipa is the world's deepest canyon, the Colca Canyon. Excursions are available in town.

There are many hotels and restaurants in Arequipa. The city is 770 km southeast of Lima.

Arequipa ©Mayur Arvind

Plaza de Armas ©Lizbeth Rojas

Arequipa ©Laurie Byrne

Arequipa ©Megan Kotlus

Arequipa ©Jeremy Boley

Arequipa ©Eddie Kiszka

Colca Canyon ©Nad Hemnani

Arequipa ©Ryan Doyle

Arequipa ©Falco Negenman

Arequipa ©Falco Negenman

Basílica Catedral de Arequipa ©Hongbin

Arequipa ©Falco Negenman

Arequipa ©Mijail Pari