"Downtown"

Petula Clark told us how it was back in the 60s:

Downtown -- The lights are much brighter there

You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares

So go downtown, things'll be great when you're

Downtown - no finer place, for sure

Downtown - everything's waiting for you.

She probably wasn’t singing about “downtown” in Arequipa, Peru, but that’s where we will take you today.

Our “downtown” for these 3 months consists largely of a Spanish-colonial style plaza (called the “Plaza de Armas” – Plaza of the Armed Forces) surrounded by architecturally graceful government, city and religious buildings.  The space was designed in 1540 as the city center where the religious, social, civic and entertainment (such as bullfights) needs of a community could be met.  However, its main function (at least until 1868) was open-market commercial activity. 

Today, there is no open market.  Instead, the central plaza is park-like with walkways, grass, flowers, trees, benches, wonderful old gas lamps, and a fountain in the middle, complete with a statue.  Atop the fountain stands an angel statue known locally as ¨turututu¨ because of the trumpet in his (her?) hand.  In 1910, however, the statue was removed because it was considered "not aesthetic" (hmmmm), and it ended up in a warehouse.  Happily, the trumpeteering angel was restored in 1920 and now again stands proudly atop the fountain. 

In the plaza on any given day, you will also see hundreds of pigeons who especially love the trumpet, many shoe-shine people, professional photographers, men preaching about “the good book,” and hundreds of people who enjoy the park all hours of the day.  It truly does seem to be a place where people go to “forget all their troubles.”

the fountain with the turu-tutu trumpeteer

 

Surrounding the square are beautiful buildings all made from sillar, the white volcanic rock that gives Arequipa its name of the “white city.”

On one side of the plaza are the city government buildings, although our Spanish teacher said that the mayor and other government officials have moved to a side street because of a large number of protest marches which tie up traffic around the square.

You can see the two-story buildings across the park, and directly in front, you can see a gentleman in a white shirt trying to gain some converts.

It was protests such as these that caused the city officials to move to another street because traffic was being tied up.  The move didn't do any good; the plaza is still the favored spot for protests. 

On two of the other sides one can find shops, banks, and travel agencies, and on the second-story balconies, above the graceful colonnade arches, there are great little restaurants where one can stop for a meal, a Cuesqueña beer (the local favorite), or a snack.  Originally, these buildings were one story, but the second-stories were added in 1915 as enclosed structures.  However, after the 1958 & 1960 earthquakes severely damaged the second-stories, it was decided to rebuild them with open arches because the arch is earthquake resistant.

This is a view of the Plaza from one of the second-story outdoor restaurants. 

and this is a view of the restaurants from the plaza.

On the fourth side is the beautiful twin-towered cathedral, founded in 1612 and rebuilt at various times because of earthquakes and fire.  La Catedral is actually the only cathedral in Peru to stretch the entire length of a plaza, and apparently it is also only one of some 100 basilicas permitted to fly the Vatican flag (haven’t been able to find out why though).

The inside houses an impressive Belgian pipe organ, as well as an ornate wooden pulpit brought to Arequipa from France in the early 1900s. While the outside of the cathedral is elaborate, the inside is more modest in appearance. 

   

The cathedral is a block long, and the nave runs parallel to the street, so the door you see is actually at the side of the main nave -- very unusual.

The lighting at night is spectacular.

a long-shot view of the inside.

a closer look at the front

the ornate pulpit which came from France

At the bottom of the pulpit is Lucifer being stamped out by the "good guys"

the columns are ornately decorated

This figure is the patron saint of Arequipa -- La Asunta

the Belgian pipe organ at the rear of the church

Arequipa's historic center was declared a UNESCO orld Heritage site in 2000. The UNESCO website provides this rationale for its designation:

The Historical Centre of Arequipa is an outstanding example of a colonial settlement, challenged by natural conditions, indigenous influences, the process of conquest and evangelization, and the spectacular nature of its setting. Its ornamented architecture represents a masterpiece of the creative integration of European and native characteristics, crucial for the cultural expression of the entire region.

And now, you have been there too, albeit vicariously!