2025-05-20 | Cultural Heritage
Historic Center of Arequipa City Cultural Heritage
Inscription: 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee. Cairns, Australia, November 27, 2000.
The historic center of Arequipa represents a combination of native influences and Spanish construction features on unstable terrain due to earthquakes, formed by thick walls, arches, porticos, vaults, courtyards, and open spaces mainly built with sillar, the volcanic stone sourced from the Misti volcano. The preexisting indigenous populations, Spanish conquest and evangelization, the natural environment, and frequent earthquakes are key factors in defining Arequipa’s identity. The city was founded in 1540 in a valley intensively cultivated by pre-Hispanic communities. The layout of an indigenous village has survived near the Historic Center in the San Lázaro district. The World Heritage site comprises 49 original blocks of the Spanish design.
The ornate architecture in Arequipa’s historic center is a masterpiece of the creative integration of European and native features, crucial for the cultural expression of the entire region (Criterion (i)). The historic center of Arequipa is an example of colonial settlement with indigenous influences, conquest, and evangelization processes (Criterion (iv)). Five periods can be identified here: the foundation (1540–82), the Baroque flourish (1582–1784), the introduction of Rococo and Neoclassicism (1784–1868), modern empiricism and Neoclassical fashion (1868–1960). The core of the historic city is the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) with its arches, the city hall, and the cathedral. On one corner of the square are the church and cloisters of La Compañía, the most representative complex of the late 18th-century mestizo Baroque period. The Monastery of Santa Catalina is an impressive religious citadel that integrates architectural styles from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The San Francisco complex includes a small plaza, the main church, the convent, and the cloisters of the third order. The chapels and convents of Santo Domingo date from the 16th to the 18th centuries: San Agustín, La Merced, and the Church of Santa María; Santa Teresa and Santa Rosa. The Royal Bridge (now Bolognesi Bridge) and Grau Bridge are also built of sillar.
Integrity. The protection area of Arequipa’s historic center covers 166.52 hectares and includes all representative elements and physical features of the urban and architectural complex and its historical evolution, expressing the Outstanding Universal Value of the site. The foundational urban design of the city, its monumental urban environments, and religious and civil buildings constructed between the 17th and 20th centuries constitute its historic urban character. The historic center of Arequipa is integrated with the natural and cultural environment of the Chili River valley, crowned by three snow-capped volcanoes. These attributes are preserved and maintain a harmonious relationship without significant alterations.
Authenticity. The urban layout planning of Arequipa’s historic center retains its originality and much of the urban fabric that expresses the city’s mixed character and historical identity. The construction techniques using volcanic stone and the fine sculptural work of porticos and other sillar structures also attest to the technological development and Baroque art that has survived since the 17th century. The churches maintain their religious use; however, many manor houses have lost their original residential use.
Protection and management requirements. The historic center of Arequipa is protected by the National Constitution and Law No. 28296, General Law of National Cultural Heritage of 2004. Supreme Resolution No. 2900 of 1972 declares the historic center of Arequipa as a Monumental Area with heritage value. Supreme Decree No. 012-77-IT/DS of 1977 defines the boundaries of the monumental area, and Municipal Ordinance No. 13-99 determines its protection and creates the Municipal Superintendence for Management and Control of Arequipa’s historic center. The fundamental task is to protect the city from natural phenomena: seismic activity, low-intensity volcanic activity, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Likewise, the city center faces overpopulation, intense vehicular traffic and pollution, formal and informal commerce, and the demolition of real estate properties to be used as parking lots or commercial stores.
The historic center of Arequipa represents a combination of native influences and Spanish construction features on unstable terrain due to earthquakes, formed by thick walls, arches, porticos, vaults, courtyards, and open spaces mainly built with sillar, the volcanic stone sourced from the Misti volcano. The preexisting indigenous populations, Spanish conquest and evangelization, the natural environment, and frequent earthquakes are key factors in defining Arequipa’s identity. The city was founded in 1540 in a valley intensively cultivated by pre-Hispanic communities. The layout of an indigenous village has survived near the Historic Center in the San Lázaro district. The World Heritage site comprises 49 original blocks of the Spanish design.
The ornate architecture in Arequipa’s historic center is a masterpiece of the creative integration of European and native features, crucial for the cultural expression of the entire region (Criterion (i)). The historic center of Arequipa is an example of colonial settlement with indigenous influences, conquest, and evangelization processes (Criterion (iv)). Five periods can be identified here: the foundation (1540–82), the Baroque flourish (1582–1784), the introduction of Rococo and Neoclassicism (1784–1868), modern empiricism and Neoclassical fashion (1868–1960). The core of the historic city is the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) with its arches, the city hall, and the cathedral. On one corner of the square are the church and cloisters of La Compañía, the most representative complex of the late 18th-century mestizo Baroque period. The Monastery of Santa Catalina is an impressive religious citadel that integrates architectural styles from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The San Francisco complex includes a small plaza, the main church, the convent, and the cloisters of the third order. The chapels and convents of Santo Domingo date from the 16th to the 18th centuries: San Agustín, La Merced, and the Church of Santa María; Santa Teresa and Santa Rosa. The Royal Bridge (now Bolognesi Bridge) and Grau Bridge are also built of sillar.
Integrity. The protection area of Arequipa’s historic center covers 166.52 hectares and includes all representative elements and physical features of the urban and architectural complex and its historical evolution, expressing the Outstanding Universal Value of the site. The foundational urban design of the city, its monumental urban environments, and religious and civil buildings constructed between the 17th and 20th centuries constitute its historic urban character. The historic center of Arequipa is integrated with the natural and cultural environment of the Chili River valley, crowned by three snow-capped volcanoes. These attributes are preserved and maintain a harmonious relationship without significant alterations.
Authenticity. The urban layout planning of Arequipa’s historic center retains its originality and much of the urban fabric that expresses the city’s mixed character and historical identity. The construction techniques using volcanic stone and the fine sculptural work of porticos and other sillar structures also attest to the technological development and Baroque art that has survived since the 17th century. The churches maintain their religious use; however, many manor houses have lost their original residential use.
Protection and management requirements. The historic center of Arequipa is protected by the National Constitution and Law No. 28296, General Law of National Cultural Heritage of 2004. Supreme Resolution No. 2900 of 1972 declares the historic center of Arequipa as a Monumental Area with heritage value. Supreme Decree No. 012-77-IT/DS of 1977 defines the boundaries of the monumental area, and Municipal Ordinance No. 13-99 determines its protection and creates the Municipal Superintendence for Management and Control of Arequipa’s historic center. The fundamental task is to protect the city from natural phenomena: seismic activity, low-intensity volcanic activity, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Likewise, the city center faces overpopulation, intense vehicular traffic and pollution, formal and informal commerce, and the demolition of real estate properties to be used as parking lots or commercial stores.