Arequipa and Santa Catalina Convent

---

We took an extra day after the Colco Canyon tour to relax in Arequipa and take pictures of its beautiful plaza and check out the Convento de Santa Catalina (or Saint Catherine´s Convent), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most fascinating colonial buildings (or group of buildings) in Arequipa.

Built over many years starting in 1579, the Convento de Santa Catalina was at one time the largest convent in the Americas, home to over 450 nuns. In its heyday it would have been a self-sufficient community. The nuns had their own gardens and made bread, crafts, and textiles both for selling and personal use. The convent is still active, but there are only a dozen nuns left now, and occupying only a few buildings. The rest of the convent is open for visitation.

It was clear, bright morning when we visited the convent. Outside the buildings and cobbled streets were very beautiful as the sunlight showed off the bright colors of the walls. Roses and other flowers were arranged along the streets and in the courtyards. At first look the convent can seem almost an idyllic place to live. However, stepping inside the buildings one quickly realizes that these ladies lived a pretty tough life. The bedrooms were very spartan, with a bed, maybe a chair, and religious paintings on the walls. The apprentice nuns were confined to their rooms for about 18 hours a day. The kitchens were large and dark, and probably very warm when the large wood stoves were in use. Some of the kitchens had special enclosures for keeping cuy, or guinea pig. Hung on all the walls inside the convent were relics such as old tools, kitchen utensils, and pictures. The oddest of these were the instruments the nuns used to inflict pain of themselves in an effort to "mortify the flesh" - little whips for self flagellation and wire undergarments. I don't want to offend anyone, but there is no getting around it - there are many things once considered normal in different Christian societies that we would now consider barbaric. Jesus was a tough husband.

After seeing most of the convent, and a nice view of the city from the second floor, we returned to the secular and modern streets of Arequipa. We spent a couple of hours in our favorite Arequipa cafe drinking coffee and blogging (still on Central America at that time). We finished our Arequipa experience by taking some pictures of the main plaza in the sunset. Always beautiful, the plaza was made merry this time of the year by a giant pine christmas tree and a genuine Santa Claus - all decked out in Coca-Cola red and white. The next day we took a bus to Puno, our final stop in Peru before crossing to Bolivia.

---

Photos

Claustro Los Naranjo
Cloister of the Orange Trees

Calle Cordova
Lined with beautiful red geraniums