Surrounded by volcanoes, with a deep blue sky, and the Misti as background, the city of Arequipa stands majestic with its very particular personality of white ashlars stone houses. The baroque temples, such as the Cathedral in the Main Square, and La Compañia temple in the nearby streets stand out, as well as the churches and convents of Santa Catalina, San Agustin, La Recoleta, La Merced, San Francisco and Santo Domingo monasteries.

The districts of San Lázaro, Selva Alegre, Cayma and Yanahuara are most traditional. Other Charming examples of mestizo architecture are the ashlar stone houses such as Casa del Moral, Casa Arrospide, Casa Goyeneche, Casa Bustamante and Casa Tristan del Pozo.

Other places of interest in this department are Toro Muerto petroglyphs, the Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons.

TOURIST PLACES

Downtown: Plaza de Armas (Main Square), The Cathedral, The church and the complex of La Compañia, Complex and the church of San Francisco.

Monastery of Santa Catalina: It was built to shelter the daughters of the families most distinguished from the city with religious vocation, inaugurated in the year 1580 under the dedication of Santa Catalina de Siena. It presents several environments between which an art gallery to exhibit linens of the Cusco School.

Moral House: Ancient big house of the XVIIIth century, constitutes one of the most ancient architectural and important monuments of the Arequipa Barroque period. The house owes its the name to an ancient blackberry tree that grows in its main patio. It possesses furniture of the colonial and republican epochs. The front wall in ashlar constitutes a work of art in which they appreciate carefully carved figures. Likewise a lounge stands out with "the most ancient" maps of America of the XVIth century.

Watchtower of Yanahuara: It was buit in the XIXth century and it is shaped by a series of arches of ashlar in which there have been recorded the words of illustrious arequipeños. The place has a privileged sight of the city and of the volcano Misti.

Colca Canyon: It is one of the deepest canyons of the planet, reaches 3,400 m. in its maximum point in Canco's locality. It has the margin straight the Mountain chain of the Chila (Bomboya, Serpregina, Mismi, Queshihua), and for another side accompanying the Hualca Hualca, Sabancaya and Ampato are. Of distant view the Ubinas and the beautiful Coropuna is spied. From there it is possible to estimate the wonderful flight of the condors.