Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru

---

Arequipa, Peru's second-largest city in the Arequipa Region, sits at 2,335 meters above sea level in a fertile valley encircled by three volcanoes—Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu—earning its nickname "White City" from buildings crafted in pale sillar volcanic stone.

Founded on August 15, 1540, by Spanish lieutenant Garci Manuel de Carbajal as Villa Hermosa del Valle de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, it evolved into a colonial trade hub on silver and wool routes, declared a city by King Charles V in 1541, and briefly served as Peru's capital during conflicts in 1835 and 1883. 

Its UNESCO-listed historic center blends European and indigenous styles in landmarks like the Santa Catalina Monastery, Jesuit Church of La Compañía, and the vast Plaza de Armas, amid a modern economy driven by mining, textiles, and tourism drawing over a million visitors yearly.