The Arequipa Experience

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Spent part of the morning in a museum with a young and beautiful Inca girl called Juanita. The only problem was that she had been dead since about 1445. Juanita had been found in 1995 in the form of a frozen mummy at the top of a nearby mountain. Also known as the Ice Maiden she is considered to be one of the world's best preserved mummy. She is on show in this glorified freezer in this wonderful museum known as Museo Santuarios Andinos.Why and how did she come to die and be buried on the top of a mountain? Well she was marched from Cursco to the mountain as a sacrificial offering to the gods by the Incas. She died as a result of a blow to the head and was buried on the top of the icy mountain along with a load of assorted items that would be required for the afterlife Many of these items were on display along with Juanita. Fascinating.
In contrast part of the afternoon was spent in a convent with 20 nuns (plus quite a few other visitors and guides) We visited Monasterio de Santa Catalina which was founded in 1580 by a rich Spanish widow who became a nun. Apparently the rule was that the second daughter of each rich Spanish family living in Peru was sent to the convent by her family together with a dowry which was used to keep the convent going. The wealthy novices brought along home comforts including servants and had a ball of a time with lots of parties. All good things come to an end and in the 1870s the regime changed and the hedonistic lifestyle was replaced with religious austery. The numbers started to drop off and now there are down to 20. At one time the numbers were up to 400.
The convent is virtually a self contained town within the City with colourful streets named after cities in Spain. Pots of flowers are everywhere and it is difficult to believe you are in the middle of a busy and bustling city. An oasis of calm.
Arequipa is Peru's second largest city and it is a delightful place to visit

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Photos

Cathedral and Plaza de Armas
The Cathedral and Plaza are at the heart of Arequipa. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1868 after an earthquake and is constructed out of local white volcanic stone.

Street scene at the Convent
A typical street scene at Monasterio de Santa Catlina

Comments

[Jayne Adams]

Hello John! This is quite a contrast to the ruins of a few days ago! The museum and convent sound fascinating - what a lot you have packed into the last 3 weeks! So it's the last leg of your travels now - enjoy the next few days, and safe journey home. Jayne xx