Locals sometimes say ´when the moon separated from the earth, it forgot to take Arequipa.´ This beautiful city has grand colonial buildings, built from a light-coloured volcanic rock called sillar that is simply stunning. The modern city of Arequipa was founded on 15 August 1540, by Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, an emissary of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Today, Arequipa is the 2nd largest city in Peru with a population of approximately 750,000. Throughout history Arequipa remained relatively isolated during colonial and early republican times, but that changed in 1870 when a Southern railroad to the coastal port of Mollendo was inaugurated, opening trade via the Pacific Ocean. The building and expansion of more roads in the 1930s also led to a direct connection with the Pan-American Highway, strengthening Arequipa's links to the rest of the Americas.
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