The “Geopark” extends over an area of 25 hectares. Once there the landscape takes us to another world! The area invites to the imagination and mysticism as every rocky formation reveals stone figures with forms of women, angels, animals like seals, elephants, or condors; as well as castles, towers, streets and more.

Until now local people use Choqolaca as a religious center for different ancestral rituals, where you can appreciate the local traditions and way of life.

Please don’t forget that this is a natural territory with great ancestral traditions protected by their villagers. For this reason, we ask you to take the tour with a Responsible Tour Operator or, if you go by yourself, please follow all instructions from the locals.

It is important that you are very respectful of the religious and cultural traditions of the communities that live in this wonderful place.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU DISCOVER PERÚ!

@GiardinoToursPeru

#ITravelwithGiardino #OneTripManyExperiencies

Objetive

Protect habitats that offer optimal conditions for the development of populations of vicuña, taruca, common parihuana, Andean parihuana and James parihuana. Protect forests from queñual.

Fauna/Flora

The vertebrates are represented by 207 species, of which 37 are mammals and 158 birds. Also the presence of 5 species of reptiles, 4 amphibians and 3 fish has also been reported. The herbivores characteristic of the fauna are the camelids of South America: Llama, alpaca, vicuña and guanaco.

Also here you will find the Tarucas, viscachas, puma, the andean cat, the andean fox, etc.  Among the resident birds we have  the Andean huallata or goose, the mountain duck and the flamingos or parihuanas.

And talking about the flora of the Reserve, you will find about  358 species of plants.

The Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve has a good network of roads that allow access to much of the protected natural area.

An ideal and easy way to observe part of the Natural Reserve (Pampa cañahuas area) is during the 2 days excursion to the Colca canyon.

There are also other excursions to the Reserve such as a visit to the Salinas lagoon, the Mauca rock formations or visit to Pillones and Puruña in the area of Pampa Cañahuas, the cave paintings of Sumbay and more.

Clima

The Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve  has very low average temperatures ranging from 2° to 8° C. Extensive thermal fluctuations occur, both day and night, as well as between shade and sun exposure. It has annual precipitation averages of 200 to 600 mm, mainly from January to March, a period in which 65 per cent of the rains fall. Frost occurs almost all year round and can reach -20°C.

All these characteristics, together with their capricious rock formations, their archaeological remains, the rich living culture of their present inhabitants and their easy accessibility, make it one of the most valuable protected natural areas of the country.

The megadiversity of the reserve makes it one of the treasures of Arequipa region.

Peru is beautiful and megadiverse!

 

Giardino Tours – Blog.

@GiardinoToursperu

#ItravelwithGiardino #OneTripManyExperiences

 

Links that may be interesting:

Tips for a Responsible Peru Travel Experience!

Arequipa: The stone city Choqolaca

Santa Catalina Monastery: What you need to know for your Tour in Arequipa

Arequipa Tour

In 1500s, the Hispanic-Peruvian chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega wrote the story of how Inca King Mayta Capac stopped his troops in the valley of the Chili river dazzled by the beauty of the place saying “Ari qepay” – That in Quechua language means something like “yes, You can stay” or “stay here”. With those words, said de la Vega, the city of Arequipa was born.

Well, we do not want to exaggerate being to much romantic, but for sure we have understood the symbolic message of this story.

Arequipa is not a city to pass quickly on the route during your trip to Peru; once here you are going to say “let’s stay here”

1.- Enjoy the gorgeous historical centre of Arequipa

Arequipa’s main attraction is unequivocally the magnificent historical centre, which owes its beauty and significance to more than just its impeccable off-white facades.

The architectural style of most structures, built in volcanic rock, shows an unprecedented and harmonious blend of European and native indigenous elements and techniques, which resulted in a spectacular display of exquisitely-decorated mansions, courtyards, cloisters and churches.

Peruvian architect and writer Hector Velarde couldn’t have described it better: “the architecture of Arequipa is all about the marriage between conqueror and conquered, it’s a true fusion. It is the perfect colonial architecture, maybe the most complete of all Mestizo-American architectures”

• Plaza de Armas (The best photos are during Sunset)
• Casa Tristan del Pozo
• Casa Moran
• Plaza San Lazaro
• Plaza and Church San Francisco.
• Church and cloister of La Compañía de Jesus
• Streets of Arequipa City center that close into the Main Square

2.- Mundo Alpaca

If you think that to visit “Mundo alpaca” is only a shopping store with live alpacas, it is wrong! Mundo Alpaca it’s actually a small and very well-organized “Alpaca Boutique and Museum”.

Live the experience of the “Alpaca and Vicuña” and learn about the tradition, process and history of its fibers and the wonderful textiles of the Andes.

Here you will not only interact with the Alpacas but also you will travel to the past through the textile history that you will appreciate in its ” Museo Textil Pre-Columbian Amano – Michell”, which exhibits valuable textile pieces from pre-Columbian cultures.

To close the experience you will visit the Boutique where you can find excellent and top quality products for you and your family.

3.- San Camilo Market

Take your time to stroll down the different alleys, which are neatly organized by product type. You will be amazed by the quantity of products and colors. Walk through the alleys of herbs, meats, breads, fruits, cheeses etc… Walk through the juice alley and taste a good glass of fresh juice (the best juices we’ve ever tasted) and on the second floor visit the sale of flowers, textiles and also look some restaurants for locals.

Here you will discover the huge variety of potatoes that Peru offers.

Do you know that Peru has more than 3,500 varieties of potato, the largest in the world, and there are more than 700,000 families that live from its cultivation in 19 producing regions?

4.- Walk to the Yanahuara scenic lookout

For a wonderful view of this city and its volcanoes, there is no better place than the Yanahuara Lookout. On a clear day (which in Arequipa is almost 300 days a year) you will have photos of the city and its volcanoes as a postcard, from some elegant arches made arches made from the same volcanic rock used in the historical city center (Sillar).

Note that the arches have some inscriptions, which are quotes from famous Arequipan writers.

Take time to explore the Plaza. Church and some close streets and get in the Plaza a delicious “Queso helado” a kind of Traditional ice cream of this city.

5.- The Recoleta Convent

Only a 10-minute walk from the Plaza de Armas crossing the Río Chili over pleasant Puente Bolognesi on the way to Yanahuara, you will find the Recoleta convent museum.

It was founded in 1648 by Franciscan friars and rebuilt after many earthquakes. The peaceful Franciscan convent contains impressive cloisters with sillar columns, patios and lovely gardens.

Bibliophiles will delight walking around the Convent’s huge library, which contains more than 20,000 dusty books and maps; including rare published texts from the 15th century. The library is open for supervised visits, just ask at the entrance if you visit.

The convent museum includes several collections that are good to visit. One room is a collection of pre-Inca culture artifacts, including funereal masks, textiles, and totems; in another are mummies and a series of paintings of the 12 Inca emperors. Also is interesting to observe that the missionaries were understandably fascinated by prehistoric-looking fish, crocodiles, piranhas, and the clothing of indigenous communities.

6.- Santa Catalina Monastery

This incredible monument is located in the historic center of Arequipa. It served as a cloister for Dominican nuns from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and still houses a small religious community today.

The monastery occupies a territory of 20,426 m2 and was opened on September 10, 1579, just 39 years after the foundation of Arequipa city.

The whole complex is built from volcanic ashlar stone “Sillar” and is organized into cloisters, houses, patios, square, a gallery and a small chapel.

This monastery shouldn’t be missed!

7.-  Santa Teresa Monastery

This gorgeous 17th-century Carmelite convent is open to the public as a “living museum”; so called because several of the objects and rooms continue to be used as it was over 3 centuries ago.

The colonial-era buildings are justifiably famed for their decorative painted walls and restored rooms filled with priceless objects of art, murals, precious metalwork, paintings and other historical artifacts.

The museum is located in the city centre of Arequipa, a few bloks from the main square on calle Melgar 303.

PS: You must visit the Candy Shop: where you can taste cakes and desserts made daily by the nuns with ancient recipes. Also in the shop you will Souvenirs and craft items such as parsley and roses soap made from the roses of the monastery, Apple Vinegar and Bee Honey.

This monastery is also another gem of Arequipa!

8.- The Library  “Mario Vargas Llosa.”

Mario Vargas Llosa was born in Arequipa, Peru in 1936. He is the author of fifteen novels, including La Ciudad de los Perros (The Time of the Hero) (1963), La casa verde (The Green House) (1966), and La guerra del fin del mundo (The War of the End of the World) (1981).  He has also written three short story collections, including Los jefes (The Leaders) (1959), as well as several collections of essays. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages.

In 2010, Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

So, there is no doubt that Arequipa city is proud of Its son, who now resides in Spain.

The Mario Vargas LLosa library is located in a Colonial house in the historical center of Arequipa and offers 7,900 titles ranging from fiction, history, social sciences and magazines, but the number keep growing.

“Through books we can see what we don’t have and we would like to have, thanks to books we will fight prejudice and see how absurd and irrational differences are. Literature makes us more human, makes us more reasonable, literature makes us more free, breaks borders,” – Mario Vargas Llosa on the inauguration of the Library.

What do you think?

We invite you to Discover Arequipa and live the experience of the White City of Peru

Giardino Tours – Blog

#ItravelWithGiardino #OneTripManyExperiences

Interesting related links:

Tour Arequipa: The Cathedral & 5 curious facts that you should know

Tour Arequipa: The fascinating stone city of Choqolaca

Tour Arequipa: Stunning Salinas and Aguada Blanca N.R. & the Best way Visit It

Location:

“La Puerta” (The door) is located 35 kilometers from the city of Puno (Lake Titicaca area), in south area of the district of Ilave in the province of Collao and 1 hour and 10 minutes by car from Puno city. This enigmatic place It is located also near a fascinating stone forest and the terrain is cold and quite dry.

The portal has the shape of a square with 7 meters on each side and it is carved in a unique rock. So far no in-depth archaeological study has been conducted that can reveal the date when the first settlers began to consider this door “a sacred place”.

Data:

For many, Aramu Muru door is a place where a lot of energy is concentrated, our body and soul are immediately nourished, also you get a feeling of to be in a safe place, where the body feels free and all the pressures of that daily life go away.  A place where you encounter peace. For many people this is a good place to meditate on our daily and spiritual lives. To find the answers to many questions and return home with more hope and energy.

But lets us to talk a bit more about the legends of the area, that will lead us to understand why it is considered a mystical and special place.

According to story-telling and legends, when the Spanish arrived in the Inca empire, there was a priest named Aramu Muro, who belonged to the monastery of the 7 rays and was responsible for the initiation ceremony and worship of the God; The “Inti” (the Sun).

Legends said that Aramu Muru was the one who took the golden solar disk kept in Koricancha tempel (Sun tempel in Cusco) and fled from the Spanish conquers to some place save place in the Juli Province (Lake Titicaca). Then, he reached the sacred door and placed the Sun disk on the door, using it as a door key, and opened the door. After that, he cross the portal and disappeared behind it.

Nowadays; locals carry out rituals of all kinds at the door of Aramu Muru, to ask for peace, to say thank you to the Gods or ask for hope.

Also the door is a very attractive spot for many esoteric groups, that visit the place hoping that maybe the door will be opened, and they have a chance to see a bit to the world of the Gods.

“The legend says that this door opens only for those people who are spiritually ready to connect to the spirit of Lake Titicaca.”

But without doubt, Aramu Muru is a place surrounded by mystery, where people comment that they have had sightings of strange lights and claim to have had visions of stars or columns of fire, or to have heard sounds and have even felt the presence of a tunnel behind the door.

Interesting is also that just on the other side of the mountain, Archeologist have found the remains of what seems to be a tunnel that connected the cities of Tiahuanaco (Bolivia)  and Cusco city. They think that this tunnel was used by the Incas to move around the areas. According to Inca traditions and legends, this tunnel was built before the Inca empire arrive in the area, and only was used by the Incas.

The question is…  if the Incas were not the builders of this tunnel, then who were they?

There are many interesting and fascinating stories and legends that surround the mystical world of ancient Peru, such as the legend of Lake Titicaca, from where Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo (Founders of the Inca empire) emerged and in which “La isla de la Luna” (Moon island) is located, in this island you will find similar doors.  Or the ceremonial center of “Ñaupa Iglesia” in Cusco city, in the province of Urubamba, where you can also find a similar wall or door and many rituals take place.

Certainly many questions that we cannot answer yet.

When to visit Aramu Muru?

The best time to visit Aramu Muru is in August because the earth is said to be more willing to accept offerings. But the truth is that July and August are the months where most people visit it to explore, make same hiking, rituals etc.

So, what do you think?  Do you dare to visit places enclosed with so much mystery?

Whatever the reason is that you visit Aramu Muru, you will certainly be fascinated, for the natural beauty that surrounds Lake Titicaca, the varied geography, the legends or the spiritual energy that undoubtedly recharges us in this beautiful area of ​​Peru.

We are ready to take you on this adventure

And you?

We will wait for you!!!

GIARDINO BLOG

#OneTripManyExperiences #ITravelwithGiardino

Other links:

Protecting Our Planet Starts with You – 9 Things You Can Do

Quechua Travel Words: Useful words for a great Peru experience

Tour Arequipa: The Cathedral & 5 curious facts that you should know

¡We have great news this May 2021! 🙂

Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Peru’s second-largest protected natural area located in Loreto region— once again attracted the interest of the international tourism, as it was chosen as a must-visit destination during the 41st edition of the International Tourism Fair – FITUR 2021 in Madrid, Spain.

This was reported by the Spanish newspaper español La Vanguardia, in an article that explores destinations to travel “despite” COVID-19. This article was wroten by the journalist Lidia Bernaus and published in the  Magazine Lifestyle.

In the publication, the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is described as “an amazing place that will impress even the most adventurous people.”

The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is the only tourist attraction in Peru and the Americas that stands out as a world’s must-visit destination at FITUR 2021.

The Reserve is a tropical humid forest that can be flooded, and is home of lagoons such as El Dorado, and where up to 1,000 species of animals and more than 900 wild plants live, in addition to 50 native communities that are dedicated to hunting, fishing, and agriculture. Also the tourism as one of their main means of subsistence.

The extension of the reserve represents 1.5% of the Peruvian territory and 6% of the Loreto region, likewise, it is somewhat larger than the area of ​​Slovenia and comparable to 50% of the territory of Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Costa Rica or the 23% from Portugal, which ensures the ecological and genetic representativeness of the region.

Other destinations mentioned in this article include the volcanic island El Hierro, which is one of the Canary Islands  (Spain), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), the city of Cairo (Egypt), Bohol Island (Philippines), among others.

Clima:

The annual mean temperature ranges between 20 and 33 °C, while the annual mean precipitation ranges between 2000 and 3000 mm.[2] It is advisable to visit the reserve between May and January.[2] The climograph shown here corresponds to the nearby town of Nauta (93 m of elevation).

Tourism:

It is not possible to enter the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve on your own, it is always necessary to acquire the services of an authorized travel agency, a hostel, a cruise (luxury boats) or contact directly with the groups organized within the reserve.

On April 22, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Claudia Cornejo, delivered the Safe Travels International Seal to the Iquitos-Amazon River-Pacaya Samiria National Reserve tourist destination. This was possible thanks to the coordination with the tourism sector, meeting in the Regional Pro Tourism Committee of Loreto.

We keep organizing and preparing ourselves better than ever, so that our travelers will enjoy our country in the safest, most personalized and sustainable way.

We are waiting for you!

GIARDINO BLOG

#OneTripManyExperiences #ITravelwithGiardino

 

Fuentes:

Mincetur / Turiweb / Wikipedia / Fitur2021

 

Other links:

8 highlights of Arequipa – Tips to enjoy Peru’s prettiest city

Peru Packing List post Covid-19: 5 Items that You Need to take to your Peru Trip

Peru Trip: Altitude mountain sickness and 6 easy tips to avoid it

Chan Chan mud Citadel

We have been totally impressed with the ability of the Incas to create a citadel with exactly carved stones in which no card can enter between 2 stones, but …What do you think of a city before the Incas, made of clay with perfectly detailed friezes on its walls and maintained to this day?

“It came from the sea, it is not known from where, in a fleet of rafts, with all its court and warriors, it reached the north coast of what is now Peru, in the Moche valley and founded a kingdom. His name was Tacaynamo and he was the first ruler of Chan Chan, the most important city in Chimú. He had a son named Guacricaur, and Guacricaur had also a son he named Ñancempinco. There were ten kings of this dynasty. The last, Minchancaman was defeated by the Incas, who destroyed the city and divided the kingdom. “ –  (Anonymous, 1604)

So, tells the legend collected in the document “Anonymous History” written in 1604 by a Spanish chronicler, which narrates the founding of Chan Chan and the kingdom of Chimor.

This admirable city is located in the Moche Valley in the department of La Libertad and is currently one of the most important architectural representations of pre-Inca history.

When the Chimú empire was subdued by the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, around 1470, Chan Chan was sacked and destroyed. When the Spanish arrived, the town was a practically abandoned ruin. So Diego de Almagro founded in 1534, a new town that he called Trujillo, in honor of Francisco Pizarro’s small homeland of Extremadura.

Chan Chan Citadel and its details

Chan Chan, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 is the largest mud citadel in America covering an area of ​​approximately 20 square kilometers.  Chan Chan has impressed the whole world with its magnitude and all the history that each one of its walls and narrow passages can tell us!

Most tourists only know Nik An (downtown house, in Spanish), the only one of the ten walled complexes open to the public. However, the largest adobe city in America – and the second in the world – is much more than that.

In the whole area there are numerous huacas (Tempels) and palaces, among them the incredible Utzh An (big house), which hid for 800 years the 20 wooden sculptures that surprised the world in 2017, after their first exhibition.

When archaeologists recently excavated the ceremonial entranceway to an ancient palace in Peru, they were excited to discover a series of 750-year-old wooden “guardians” flanking the passage. But there was an even bigger surprise in store as the statues emerged from the dirt: termites had chewed through the 19 wooden bodies over the centuries, leaving in their place two-foot-high human figures fashioned at least partially—and in some cases perhaps almost completely —from centuries-old insect excrement.
– Article National Geopraphic – Ancient palace guards ‘preserved’ .

Twenty wooden sculptures were buried under the sand that covered the entire Utzh An walled complex, from the years 1200 – 1350. It is the third time that figures of this type have been discovered; however, it is older and the representation attributed to it is also different.

In terms of ideology for the Chimú people, it seems that they are guardians. For those who enter to this site receive a visual impact from a wall that exceeds six meters high and the psychological impact, so the visitors realize that to the place they enter belongs to a very powerful being, so they must show humility and respect. –  Said Henry Gayoso – Representative of the project.

Chan Chan Architectural details:

Its name, which comes from the muchil Jang-Jang and means “sun-sun” and was home to about 60,000 inhabitants. It is important to know that until today that excavations have brought to light only a small part.

This huge city is made up of 10  citadels and pyramids, 9 of these citadels have similar characteristics, however the form of stratification so strong reflects that it is divided by different social classes,  for example, the main citadels are protected by high walls and they have a single access facilitating the control of those who entered and left.

Chan Chan & the figures on the walls:

The walls are adobe brick covered with a smooth surface into which intricate designs are carved. The two styles of carving design include a realistic representation of subjects such as birds, fish, and small mammals, as well as a more graphic, stylized representation of the same subjects.

The carvings at Chan Chan depict crabs, turtles, and nets for catching sea creatures (such as Spondylus. Chan Chan, unlike most coastal ruins in Peru, is very close to the Pacific Ocean. This suggests that their main economic activity was based on fishing.

The caballitos de totora and Huachanco:

Both in Moche ceramics and in some wall reliefs, figures have been found that look like curious slippers-shaped boats. They are the famous caballitos de totora, which continue to be made and use in the Huanchaco area, a beach area of ​​Trujillo city.

These “Totoras” have hardly changed shape in several thousand years. It is known that they were used for fishing, and are made with bundles of reeds of the same name, a natural material that cannot hold for long time. The famous explorer Thor Heyerdal tried to show that with rafts similar to these, its first settlers would have arrived from Peru to Easter Island, a thesis discarded by the scientific community.

Something that is irrefutable is that both the Chimú and the Incas mentioned their origin in a legend, that said that the founder of their people would have mysteriously arrived on a raft from the mists of the sea.

The Totora boats of Huanchaco are the main attraction of this town. Here on this beach you can also see surfers, fishermen, family vacationers, seafood restaurants, vendors, etc.

How you can visit the Citadel of Chan Chan?

To get to Chan Chan you must go to Trujillo city. From Lima you can take a Bus (9 hrs) or also by plain in direct flights.

Chan Chan is only 5 km from the city of Trujillo, so you can take a bus in the direction of the city of Huanchaco, but indicate that you want to get off at the stop closest to Chan Chan.

If you go by Taxi, we recommend you take a safe one or organize it with your hotel.

The most recommended and practical way is to take a full day Tour to Chan Chan that includes not only the visit to the citadel but also the Site Museum, the Huaca Arco iris, Huanchaco beach  and the temples of the Sun and the Moon. – In addition, an organized tour save a lot of time in your visits taking you to the most interesting places!

Visit a program to Trujillo and Chan Chan  in this link.

🙂 We will be waiting for you!!!

Giardino Tours – Blog

#ITravelwithGiardino #OneTripManyExperiences

Source:

Andina. (19 de mayo de 2011).  / Anonimo. (1604). Historia Anonima. / Reino Chimu; Peru: National Geopraphic / Vega, L. T. (2009). Arqueologia del Perú. /Arqueología Peru 2018

 

Other links of interest:

Quechua Travel Words: Useful words for a great Peru experience

Machu Picchu: Check these amazing secrets before the Tour

Cusco Tour: 3 differences between Machu Picchu, Mountain & Huayna Picchu

Here we tell you five curious facts that you should know about this monument for your next visit.

1.- Arequipa’s cathedral was destroyed 10 times:

This was due to natural tragedies such as earthquakes and fires. The first tragedy was the earthquake in 1583 and the last in 2001 with an earthquake of 8.1 on the Richter scale, that made that the left tower fall completely.

This tower was rebuilt in 2002.

2.-Inside the cathedral we can find a religious museum:

A Museum that treasures 400 years of religious history of Arequipa.

The museum offers precious jewels and historical relics, within them the gold and silver filament clothing of the Archbishop of Arequipa Sebastián Goyeneche (1818).

We also find Gregorian chants in Latin from 1722 and a census carried out in 1813 and others.

3. We can find a tubular organ made from Loret in 1854

In the cathedral of Arequipa we can find a tubular organ made in 1854 in Belgium by Francois Bernar Loret in perfect condition.

The organ of the cathedral of Arequipa is 12 meters high and has 1206 tubes, it contains three sculptures at the top, one of them represents King David and on the sides two apocalyptic angels.

It should be noted that only conservation work has been done but the organ was not damaged by all the earthquakes.  So lucky 🙂

The Loret organ is currently under special maintenance. It consists of being played every Tuesday and Thursday from 15:00 to 16:00 hrs. And Saturday 17:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m.

4. The cathedral clock:

The Clock is located under the bell tower and is a model similar to the Big Ben clock in England and was created precisely in London in 1854.

The uniqueness of this relic lies in the number 4 since instead of use the Roman symbols with the regular number “IV” this is represented as “IIII”. This was done so that there is no confusion between “VI” and “IV”.

Another important detail is the hole on the side of the number nine of the clock, which was originated when in 1950 a bullet went through the glass sphere during the Arequipa revolution.

5.- There is a cemetery under the cathedral:

Under the lustrous marble floor of the Cathedral of Arequipa a hidden catacomb is found.

We must remember that at that time, it was customary to bury bishops and also the wealthiest people under the churches; how we can read in the book of the historian Guillermo Galdos Rodríguez “A city for history, a history for the city, Arequipa in the 16th century ”.

But it was after the 2001 earthquake that some journalists and researchers managed better to check and sniff these areas, where they found some exposed human skeletal
remains.

The anthropologist Manuel Huanqui Hurtado was one of those who was there, recording the bones found in videos. Also they found that he catacombs were also connected to another places such as nearby houses and with the main Plaza.

What you should know to vist the Catedral of Arequipa?

First you should know that in addition to what we mentioned here, the Cathedral of Arequipa offers other jewels such as the Main altar, made in white Italian carrara marble by Felippo Moratilla.

Also it has an impressive pulpit, which is a real marvel carved in wood by the French master Buisine Rigot. It dates from 1879 and in it you will be able to see the demon crushed by the Divine Word.

In addition, in the central central nave we find beautiful carvings representing the twelve apostles.

Do not forget to appreciate the great lamp brought from Seville to Arequipa.

The entrance to the Cathedral is free.

But we recommend to visit the Its religious museum:  Open hours: 10 am- 4:15 pm. here you must pay a entrance fee (S/10 soles).

The visit to the museum culminates with the walk to the bell tower of the Cathedral. A unique opportunity to contemplate from this point and height, and from its city center,the city of Arequipa and the volcanoes that surround it.

Ready to visit our beautiful city?

It will be a pleasure!

GIARDINO TOURS – BLOG

@GiardinoToursPeru

#ItravelwithGiardino #OneTripManyexperiences

 

Sources:
Adepia 2017: El reloj de la catedral.
El Pueblo: 2015 “verdades y misterios de los cementerios dela catedral” – Mamani Lino.
Moreno historiadora de Arte: “Descubrimos la impresionante catedral de Arequipa“
Vizcardo Janet Rpp- Noticias: „Los secretos del Museo de la Catedral de Arequipa“
Museo de la catedral

Other interesting Links about Arequipa:

Santa Catalina Monastery: A city within Arequipa

Arequipa Treasures: Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Arequipa: 2 fascinating curiosities about this destination!

Arequipa: 2 fascinating curiosities about this destination!

History

Viceroy Francisco Toledo granted the licenses for the foundation of the “Private Monastery of Nuns of the Order of Santa Catalina de Siena”, however the foundation was in charge of a person outside the religious sphere.

This person was María de Guzmán, widow of Don Diego Hernández de Mendoza, who donated all her properties in order to create the beautiful place that we  can enjoy now.

Today16 nuns still living in the Monastery, who offer advice, sell articles made by themselves and above all, they pray constantly for the peace of the world.

In 1944 the monastery was recognized by the National Institute of Culture as the national heritage of Arequipa and Peru, and in year 2000 it was also with Arequipa city recognized as a cultural heritage of humanity (UNESCO).

It should be noted that it was not until 1970 that the monastery was opened to the public. Its multiple restorations have made it one of the city’s greatest cultural attractions today.

The monastery of Santa Catalina is considered a citadel within another city, because in this there are: six streets, three cloisters, a square, the church, the gardens, the cells, the courtyard of silence, the kitchen, a laundry, the church , vaults and even a small exclusive cemetery for the nuns of the monastery.

“This convent should not be missed, even if it has had an overdose of colonial buildings. Occupying an entire block and guarded by imposing high walls, it is one of the most fascinating religious buildings in Peru ”- Lonely Planet.

Architecture

“When you walk through the monastery of Santa Catalina it is very clear to us why it is the main monument of Arequipa architecture”

The monastery clearly presents the three styles of architecture that we can find in Arequipa city, the baroque, neoclassical and neocolonial.  It was built using the volcanic stone of ashlar and joined by lime, sand and pozzolana.

When you are entering to the monastery, the intense colored walls stand out at first glance. According to the Architect Marizol Velasquez Gutierres (specialty in art), the color used in the architecture of the Santa Catalina Monastery is not the natural color of the material (ashlar stone), but the color based on pigments that has the property of changing its appearance (wall painting).

“According to its use, it can be classified as flat wall painting and decorative wall painting. In the Monastery of Santa Catalina  coexist both, inside and outside the spaces, which configure it as an urban complex “

The colors that we can find in the monastery are indigo, blue, predominantly in the cloister of the Naranjos, the red ocher color for most of the streets, the white color for the novitiate cloister and the interior of the cells, the color orange ocher for the entrance and the main cloister, among others.

Velasquez Gutierrez also indicates this image was not always the same over time, because the quality of the color allows changing the appearance of the architecture according to fashions, remodeling, extensions, maintenance and also for health reasons, as evidenced in the polychromies hidden in the walls.

On the other hand, the decorative wall paintings of the interiors contain religious and floral designs and are the result of technical, social, historical and environmental facts.

How to visit Santa Catalina Monastery:

From March 1 you can visit the monument in the following ways:

1.- Virtual Tour: Virtual Tour with 7 chapters about its history. You can book a virtual visit of the place through the official website of the Monastery of Santa Catalina.

It is a way to anticipate the excitement of your next visit in which you can directly appreciate the majesty of the place.

2.- Direct visit to the Monument: From March 1st you can visit the Monastery with a fixed date and hour using the service of booking of the Monastery website.

*If you want to book a specialized guide please call 958 348 214

Open: Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00. – * LAST ENTRY 4:00 p.m.

Closed to the public  Easter Friday, December 25 and January 1

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – COVID -19

The Monastery of Santa Catalina has developed a strict biosafety protocol, to enjoy a safe and pleasant visit. You can read all the protocolo here .

The sale of tickets will be online and with reservation of time. Payments can be made with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Dinners Club, Unionpay and Maestro.

Giardino Tours Blog

@GiardinoToursPeru

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Sources

Gutierrez, M. V. (27 de Enero de 2020). Universidad Catolica San Pablo.
Monasterio de Santa Catalina. (septiembre de 2020). Monasterio de Santa Catalina.
Lonely Planet_Arequipa

Other Links:

Colca canyon Travel Guide: 7 Questions about Colca Tours

Peru Private Tours: 7 fantastic reasons to take a Private Service

Arequipa Treasures: Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Set within Lake Titicaca, Taquile Island has a colorful history and a distinct culture.

Taquileans are so well-known for intricate and well-made handwoven textiles that in 2005 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared them to be a “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage.” These textiles are a character-defining element of their culture .

Taquile: Nature, culture and knitters

Taquile island is home of a Quechua population of about 2,000 people who are mainly farmers, fishermen and above all renowned weavers.

By the age of seven, boys are proficient knitters. In fact, the entire family is involved in knitting or weaving. Children knit “chullos” (hats), gloves and finger puppets of condors and llamas, common animals of the Andes. Women hand-spin the soft fleece of the sheep and alpaca into fine yarn for sweaters and blankets.

The island offers beautiful landscapes of hills, stone archways and, of course, the blue water of lake Titicaca around it.

The locals grow crops like corn, beans and quinoa on the pre-Incan terraces that cover its hilly terrain. Thanks to a largely vegetarian diet, the locals are said to live an average of 90-100 years.

The island is largely untouched by modernity with not even a bicycle to be seen in the island.

In July, villagers observe the Feast of Santiago Apostol with music and dancing. Whether celebrating weddings or religious holidays, there is always a reason to enjoy the folk music and dance that is an important part of island life.

Taquileños run their society based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code „ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla“ (Quechua for “do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy”).

The island has a radio station and is equipped with generators. Islanders have elected to use solar panels to generate energy.

Location:

Taquile Island is located 36 Km (22 miles) away from the city of Puno. It takes a 2 and half-hour boat ride to arrive in the island’s main dock.

The island highest elevation is 4100 m (13451 feet); it has a length of 5 Km (3.10 miles) and a width of 1.5 Km (0.93 miles). To walk across the island takes about two hours.

Tours to Taquile island

You can enjoy Taquile in 2 forms:

A full day Excursion:

These tours has a departure in Puno and begin with a visit to the floating island Uros before continuing to Taquile.

During the visit to Taquile visitors follow enjoyable paths that gradually take them to the main village or to other more remote sectors of Taquile. These other paths of access to the main village allow you to catch spectacular views of Lake Titicaca.

Many tours try to avoid climbing up the 535 stairs that take the visitors to the main village, but it is unavoidable to walk the stairs down to go back to the main dock.  So it is very important you have a good physical condition and good boots to walk.

Also a demonstration of traditional Andean weaving is the highlight of this visit.

A 2 days Excursion with a Overnight in Taquile:

If you decide for an overnight experience in Taquile Island,  (Normally with a previous visit to Uros floating islands) you can take your time and visit interesting sights with a host family, such as monuments to Pachamama (Mother Earth) , which are especially fascinating during Taquile’s wild festivals.

Enjoy the sunset and sunrise. 😉

Staying with a family gives you the chance that a local family will open its doors to you and you’ll get a glimpse into the Taquile lifestyle and the family’s dynamics, all topped off with a delicious homemade meal.

Additionally, you must know that the island’s tourism is operated exclusively by its inhabitants, so you’ll get first-hand knowledge from locals who know the area.

We highly recommend that you book your tours with a serious and formal travel agency. Please get informed about the company where you are going to take your tour in order to ensure that the tours are realized in a sustainable way and if handling is in accordance with the respect of the local rules and activities of the island.

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The floating islands of UROS are located inside the bay of Lake Titicaca only 14 Km. (about 9 miles) away from the city of Puno (20 to 30 minutes of navigation time). These human-made islands constructed from reeds are without doubt one of the fascinating half-day Tours from Puno on Lake Titicaca. – Perú.

How the islands are made?

The floating islands are constructed from many layers of the totora reeds, which are constantly replenished from the top as they rot from the bottom, so the ground is always soft and dry as much as possible. (When you visit the islands please be careful not to put your foot through any rotten sections!)

Nowadays, the reeds are still very important material for the Uros. They eat the reeds, build boats and houses with them, feed their few animals with reeds, and they use the reeds to make fire and cook.

We can say that the Totora are the backbone of Uros’ life.

Each islet is home to between one and ten Uros families. Also in some islets children are able to attend kindergarten and elementary school . However, older children must continuing their education in Puno city.

That make the future of Uros, their traditions and way of life uncertain.

Origen of the name

“URU” was the name of a very particular ethnic group that co-existed in lake Titicaca with the Inkas, Aymaras and possibly with older civilizations.

Today some theories claim that in the name “Uru” derives from the Pukina language; (also spelled Puquina) and it is already mentioned that this may have been the native and secret language of the Incas, and has remained hidden for hundreds of years.

The first clue to this language is given by the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in his Royal Comments. In this work, the author tells us the following:

“The Incas had another particular language that spoke between them, that the other Indians did not understand it nor was it lawful for them to learn it, as divine language,”

He also adds that according to information from their sources, this language “had been totally lost, because, The particular republic of the Incas perisched and their language perished too.“

According to documents it is known that the Spanish Empire decreed in 1575 as the official languages of the kingdom of Peru, three languages: Quechua, ayumara and puquina. Languages that were to be learned primarily by Spanish priests for evangelizing purposes.

Rodolfo Cerrón Palomino, Peruvian linguist, explains that the Spanish people had a quite pragmatic approach. So, seeing that the mayority of people already spoke Quechua or Aymara, they did not see the use in creating documents in Pukina language. “We lost a great opportunity to have materials for this language,” laments Palomino.

The Uros People

In fact, it is believed that the Uros people were one of the first ethnic groups populating the Andean region. Contrary to the claim by many authors that the Uros’ ethnic group is extinguished; a recent study of the genetic structure of the Quechua and Aymara groups of lake Titicaca has found that today’s UROS people preserve part of the original gene of ancient Uros.

These people were simple fishermen, bird hunters and recoletc eggs from the reeds and preferred to remain isolated from the other civilizations. Their search for isolation may be one reason why they decided to live in mobile boats on the lake.

When the Spanish chroniclers encountered the UROS by the end of the XVI century, the UROS people were still living on the lake in small reed-boats that they used as floating houses. Only in the early 60s, the Uros started to build small artificial islands with reeds for bigger homes.

Today the Uros Islands are floating on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, a few miles from Puno city. On the past the islands used to be closer to the middle of the lake Titicaca, but they moved or rebuilt the islands closer to the shore after a devastating storm in 1986.

Uros is a gem on Titicaca lake; thanks to existing Uros people, we can still imagine and appreciate the way of life of an ancient ethnic group on the Andean area of Lake Titicaca.

How to book the Tour to Uros Islands

• The best way to visit the Uros Islands is a guided tour from Puno city. All guided tours depart to Uros every day specially during dry season.
• Most boats depart in the morning between 7 and 8 AM. The ride take about 20 minutes to the islands.
• The city of Puno is easily accessible from Cusco, Arequipa, and La Paz, Bolivia.
• Cusco and Puno are well connected with transportation options. From Arequipa, Colca Canyon tours can continue onto Puno by van. Buses run daily to and from La Paz.
• Each tour of Uros begins with a demonstration on how the islands are made. After that, the islanders invite their guests to visit a home built from the same Totora reeds.

The islanders always present their handicrafts to tourists towards the end of each tour. While some visitors find this annoying, it is important to keep in mind that a large percentage of their income comes from selling souvenirs to tourists.

Travel Tips

• The best time to visit the Uros Islands is during the dry season from April to November.
• Bring your passport for a souvenir stamp on one of the main islands (additional cost of 1 sol per stamp).
• Each tour to Uros Islands visits two islands. IN the tour you will have the option to take a handmade reed boat from first island to the second island (15-20 minute ride). This boat ride costs an additional 10 soles per person. This payment goes directly to the family that owns the boat.
• Important: Remember that Uros Islands and Lake Titicaca sit at 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) above sea level. It is best to acclimatize by first visiting cities in lower altitudes such as Arequipa or Cusco before heading to Lake Titicaca.
• Fort he Tour to Uros and specially for tours in the andean area; bring sun protection, warm layers, comfy shoes.
• The best time to depart on Tours to Lake Titicaca is in the morning. Therefore, we recommend staying in a Puno hotel one night before visiting the lake.

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Fuentes:

Wikipedia / www.pucp.edu.pe / Lonely Planet

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