History of Arequipa

Archaeological findings suggest that the fertile valley where Arequipa is now situated was first occupied by pre-Incan groups around 5000-6000 BC. These nomadic peoples dedicated themselves to hunting and gathering, fishing, and the domestication of highland camelids. Later, as they began to settle down in the area, they developed agricultural practices. It was during this period that they constructed important irrigation canals, or acequias, in the Chili River Valley.

Villages from these pre-Incan times, such as those in the districts of Paucarpata and Sabandia, are still in use today by many local farmers.

Legend has it that the fourth Inca, Maytac Capac, was traveling through the valley around 1170 and was so taken by its beauty that he ordered his retinue to stop, saying, “Ari, quipay,” which effectively translates to “Yes, we stay here.” The Inca then set about dividing up the land between 3,000 families, who went on to found the towns and villages of Yanahuara, Caima, Tiabya, and Paucarpata, among others. During the 15th century the region served as an important supplier of agrarian products to the Inca Empire.

Arequipa as it is today was founded on August 15th, 1540, by Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, an envoy of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The strong Spanish influence can be seen today in the city’s colonial architecture.

Over the next three centuries following Arequipa’s founding, the city was inhabited by a population that was of predominantly Spanish origin and consequently there was strongly-voiced popular allegiance to the Spanish Crown. Indeed, the people of Arequipa are famous for their historic loyalty to Spain, which was perhaps most notable during Peru’s struggle for independence from this empire in the early 19th century and the consequent civil war. As historian José Agustín de la Puente commented, “It is a curious phenomenon that the south experienced the first Tupac Amaru-led revolutionary movements, but it is also in the south that the king’s power lingered longest. This is in contrast to the north, where there were fewer revolutionary movements but where they declared independence sooner…”

Economically, the city of Arequipa remained relatively isolated during colonial and early republican times, but the inauguration of a southern railroad to the coastal port of Mollendo in 1870 changed this situation drastically, as trade to the Pacific Ocean was opened up. Over the next decades, the construction of new roads eventually created direct connections with the Pan-American Highway, thus ensuring Arequipa’s commercial linkages to the rest of the Americas. Ever since then, the city has developed strong primary sector industries such as alpaca production and agriculture, converting it into the main commercial hub in Southern Peru and serving as a vital trading point between the coast and highlands.

Today the city has an important role in state-level administrative, agricultural, commercial, financial, and international industrial-commercial activities. Among the principal agricultural products of the region are wheat, cotton, fruits, quinoa, and milk.

As picturesque and confident as it is, Arequipa has a long history of earthquakes, some of which have taken the lives of thousands and led to serious structural damage in residential districts. However, thanks to the favorable seismic properties of the signature sillar stone with which much of the colonial historic center is constructed, and rapid post-earthquake reconstruction responses on behalf of the local governments, this area remains intact to this day, and as elegant as ever.