Pale stone arcades, bell towers rising above the rooftops and the distant outline of Misti volcano define the landscape of Arequipa. Located in southern Peru, it is known as the “White City” for its buildings made from sillar, a local volcanic stone. In the sunshine, façades stand out clearly, from simple roadside walls to church entrances covered in elaborate carvings.
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Exploring Arequipa, Peru, can begin with a walk around its main square, Plaza de Armas, followed by Santa Catalina Monastery and a visit to Yanahuara for mountain views. Farther out, the quarries along the Sillar Route reveal the materials and craftsmanship behind the city’s architecture. Arequipa’s historic centre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, recognised for its combination of European and Indigenous building traditions.
Plaza de Armas, the Main Square Framed by White Stone Arches
Plaza de Armas is a familiar starting point for exploring Arequipa. A fountain, greenery and paths occupy the centre, surrounded by some of the city’s most recognisable buildings. The cathedral stands out with its long façade and twin bell towers, while arcaded galleries frame the square. From the central garden, you can take in both the architecture and the everyday activity around it.
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Three arcades - the Portal de la Municipalidad, Portal de Flores and Portal de San Agustín—are particularly distinctive. Their repeated arches create an orderly rhythm, with shaded walkways beneath and sunlit stone on the outside. As you walk through them, each opening frames a different part of the square: a leafy tree, the fountain or a section of the cathedral façade.
Cafés and restaurants around the square offer places to sit and look out over the gardens. From a table, you can watch residents crossing the plaza, visitors gathering outside the cathedral and seats gradually filling at mealtimes. These ordinary activities bring life to Plaza de Armas alongside the formal grandeur of its buildings.
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Visit the square early in your stay, then return as the light changes. During the day, the stone’s colour and architectural details are easy to appreciate. Later, shadows from columns and arches give the façades greater depth. From here, you can continue to La Compañía Church or follow the streets towards Santa Catalina Monastery, passing shops and inviting corners along the way.
Santa Catalina Monastery, a Small City Behind the Gates
Santa Catalina Monastery is one of Arequipa’s standout attractions, especially for visitors interested in architecture and photography. Beyond the entrance lie narrow streets, courtyards and rows of rooms enclosed by high walls. Founded in 1579 with the support of María de Guzmán, the monastery developed over the centuries into an extensive religious complex.
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In a city famous for white stone, Santa Catalina makes a striking impression with its earthy red and vivid blue walls. Arched entrances, steps, flowerpots and small windows appear throughout the grounds. From some corners, several spaces line up within a single view: a nearby wall, an archway beyond it and a patch of blue sky in the distance.
Covering approximately 20,000 square metres, the monastery has internal streets named after Spanish cities, including Málaga, Córdoba, Seville and Granada. The visitor route also passes the nuns’ living quarters, kitchens, laundry area, dining room and covered walkways surrounding courtyards. These everyday spaces reveal how life was organised within the monastery’s walls.
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Allow around one and a half to two hours, following the monastery’s suggested visiting time. This leaves room to follow the route while pausing in courtyards or rooms that catch your attention. Much of the appeal lies in moving between spaces: a brightly coloured passage leads into a dim room, then opens unexpectedly onto a sunlit patio.
La Compañía Church and Its Intricate Stone Carvings
Near the southeastern corner of Plaza de Armas, La Compañía Church draws attention with its richly carved façade. Stone columns, borders and decorative details surround the main entrance, giving the building a different character from the restrained arcades of the square. It is an excellent place to examine how Arequipa’s craftspeople used sillar for both construction and decoration.
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Vines, bunches of grapes, plant forms and other decorative motifs intertwine across the façade. The church embodies Arequipa’s mestizo Baroque style, blending European influences with local artistic expression. Up close, the depth of the carving becomes particularly noticeable: raised surfaces catch the light, while small recesses hold shadows.
The adjoining cloister courtyards, known as Claustros de La Compañía, offer another experience. Columns and stone arches surround open spaces now used by shops, cafés and restaurants. After studying the church façade, you can step inside to see the architecture from a different perspective and take a break during your walk. The historic setting remains part of the city’s daily life.
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La Compañía deserves more than a quick photograph from the street. A wide view captures the overall composition, but closer details reveal the skill behind the carving. Combining the church with its courtyards also adds variety to the visit, moving from elaborate surface decoration to repeated arches and the open spaces beyond.
Yanahuara Viewpoint, Framing Misti Through Stone Arches
Yanahuara is a rewarding place to see Arequipa within its wider landscape. The Yanahuara viewpoint, or Mirador de Yanahuara, features a row of sillar arches overlooking rooftops and Misti volcano in the distance. On clear days, the mountain’s conical profile stands out against the sky. With the arches in the foreground, it is one of the city’s familiar photographic views.
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Built in the nineteenth century, the arches bear inscriptions quoting notable figures from Arequipa. There are therefore details to explore at the viewpoint itself as well as scenery to admire beyond it. The sillar stone connects Yanahuara visually with the historic centre, even as the outlook opens towards the mountains and the wider city.
The surrounding neighbourhood is also worth exploring on foot. Volcanic stone houses, churches and smaller streets are part of Yanahuara’s appeal alongside its famous viewpoint. Combine the mountain views with a walk through the neighbourhood, then stop at a café before returning to the centre.
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For views of Misti, a clear sky matters more than arriving at a fixed hour. Clouds can obscure the summit, while changing light alters the colours of the slopes. When visibility is good, take in the city below as well: the spread of rooftops gives a sense of Misti’s scale and explains why the volcano is so closely associated with Arequipa.
The Sillar Route, Meeting the White City’s Stoneworkers
The Sillar Route, known locally as Ruta del Sillar, takes you beyond the centre to the quarries that supply the stone seen throughout the city. At Añashuayco, pale rock walls and cut surfaces create a landscape very different from the urban streets. Before becoming a church façade or an archway, sillar must be separated from larger masses of rock and shaped for use.
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The work of the stonecutters is a highlight of the route. Demonstrations introduce visitors to the extraction, shaping and use of the material in construction. Standing beside a block being worked makes the carvings at La Compañía easier to appreciate. Behind each finished detail lie experience, tools and a succession of manual tasks.
Some tours combine Añashuayco with Culebrillas Gorge, or Quebrada de Culebrillas, where a narrow path passes between rock walls. The setting changes from an open quarry to a passage enclosed by the landscape. Studies of the Sillar Route also document rock carvings at Culebrillas, adding a historical dimension to the scenery.
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Because the Sillar Route lies outside central Arequipa, it works best as a separate excursion. Check the stops when choosing a tour, since not every itinerary includes both the quarries and the gorge. It is a meaningful addition to a visit: after admiring the finished buildings in the city, you can learn more about the material and the craft that helped create them.
Remembering Arequipa Beyond Its White Stone Arches
From Plaza de Armas to Santa Catalina, Arequipa changes with each setting: a broad square, red and blue passages, a carved façade and an open view towards Misti. A trip along the Sillar Route connects these buildings with the quarries and stoneworkers, giving the name “White City” a more tangible meaning.
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Back in the centre, familiar arches may invite you to pause a little longer. The colour of the stone, its carved details and the distant mountain now connect with places you have explored. That is what makes Arequipa memorable on a journey through Peru: a city whose character can be discovered in both a lively square and a single detail carved into stone.
