Arequipa

(This is the Santa Catalina Monastery. I had to take a picture reminding Rachel of Silencio.)

Click here for my Arequipa album.

Sunday - 8/10/2008

Well, we sure did not have enough time in Arequipa – not even 24 hours. But we made the most of them. On Saturday night we ate at Carmencitas – right off the main plaza. Alex had Cuy and Pat had Alpaca. Rachel cried! Today we were able to take a quick tour of the Monastery de Santa Catalina. This is a convent where nuns were cloistered for nearly 400 years until 1970. It is so beautiful and peaceful. I said I wished I could live there. Then, we took a similarly quick tour of the museum that holds Juanita - . This was another pre-requested site of Alex’s. It was amazing! Juanita was an Incan princess who was sacrificed to the Gods atop the Ampato mountain. Her grave was undisturbed since the 1500’s and found after a volcanic eruption in 1995. The eruption melted the hundred+ year old ice and allowed for an expedition up the mountain. The findings were incredible. Juanita was buried with food, dishes, idols, tunics and all were almost perfectly preserved. Most amazing was seeing her preserved body – hardly mummified at all, since she had been frozen for so long. Maybe one of the kids can do a quick essay! Arequipa was really sunny and more manageable traffic wise compared to Lima. Still crazy though. So far Areuipa has been our favorite place in Peru. We left Arequipa at around 2PM and flew to Juliaca – another adventure just around the corner!

Update: I found some information about the Monastery -

Enter the gates into the adobe brick walled community of the Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery in Arequipa, Peru and step back 400 years in time.
A must-see in the White City of Arequipa, Santa Catalina Monastery was begun in 1579/1580, forty years after the city was founded. The monastery was enlarged over the centuries until it became a city within the city, about 20000 sq./m. and covering a good sized city block. At one time, 450 nuns and their lay servants resided within the community, closed off from the city by high walls.
In 1970, when the civic authorities insisted the monastery install electricity and running water, the now poor community of nuns elected to open the greater portion of the monastery to the public in order to pay for the work. The few remaining nuns retreated to a corner of their community and the remainder became one of Arequipa’s prime tourist attractions.
Built with sillar, the white volcanic rock that gives Arequipa the name of the White City, and ashlar, petrified volcanic ash from Volcan Chachani overlooking the city, the monastery was closed off to the city, but much of it is open to the intensely blue sky over the southern Peruvian desert.
As you tour the monastery, you’ll walk down narrow streets named for Spanish locales, pass through arched colonnades surrounding courtyards, some with fountains, flowering plants and trees. You’ll linger in churches and chapels and take a rest in one of the plazas. You’ll see the interior, look into the private rooms, each with a small patio, common areas like the colonnades, and the utilitarian areas such as kitchen, laundry and outdoor drying area. Click on a circle on this map of the layout of the monastery for details.
Highlights
Cloister of the Oranges – Claustro los Naranjos The three crosses set among the orange trees are the center of the Passion of the Christ ceremonies when the monastery is closed to visitors.
Silence Yard - Nuns walked, said the rosary and read the Bible in silence
Entrance Portico - Statue of St Catherine of Siena in sillar over arched doorway
Main Cloister - Largest in monastery with confessionals and paintings depicting the life of Mary and the public life of Jesus
Church - Rebuilt several times after earthquake damage according to original design. Silver worked altar dedicated to Sor Ana de Los Angeles Monteagudo (see next page). A metal grille separates the nun’s area from the public.
Cordova Street - Beautiful street reminiscent of Spain with hanging geraniums on one side. Newer architecture on opposite side houses new quarters for the nuns.
Plaza Zocodover - Named for Arab word for barter or exchange, this was the area where nuns gathered on Sundays to exchange or barter their religious crafts.
Sevilla Street - Originally led to first church of St Catherine which was later converted to the kitchens. Kitchen burned coal and wood, darkening the walls and ceilings. Original cooking utensils are on display.
Burgos Street - Connected vegetable garden to Sevilla Street and the kitchen.
Laundry Area - Big earthen storage vats served as wash tubs when canals provided Arequipa’s water supply.
Everywhere you walk, you'll get a feel for what life must have been like for the women who lived here in secusion, to spend their life in prayer and contemplation.