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Once in the city, the
Plaza de Armas, the 'La Compañia de Jesus' church, which
has cloisters with ashlar (volcanic white stone or
'sillar") arcades, and the renowned Santa Catalina
Convent should not be missed. On the outskirts of: the
city some districts stand out because of their beauty,
like Cayma, which temple was built in 1730, or Yanahuara,
which belvedere offers a great view of the city
surrounded by volcanoes, such as Cachani, 1,076 meters
(3,529 feet) a.s.l.
Also important are the
Yura Chapel, the San Lazaro quarter the Sabandía Mill
and the Añazhuayco quarries, from where the ashlar
('sillar') is extracted. Arequipa is known as 'La Ciudad
Blanca" (White City) because of the color of its
ashlar buildings.
It is an isolated
ecosystem and the only vestige, between the north of
Chile and Pisco, of the ancient flooded lands that were
part of the American coast, drained for agriculture for
centuries. In spite of being located at sea level and 170
S latitude, the annual average temperature in the Mejía
Lagoons is usually 18º C (64.40 F), under the effect of
the Peruvian (Humboldt) warm stream.
The lagoons are
separated from the ocean by a large fringe of beaches and
sandy pits. Within the protected area (690 hectares/1,704
acres), several habitats are grouped, including lagoons
of different degrees of salinity, salt marsh, reed
patches, salt mines and wild grass that form a complex
ecosystem. This particularly valuable scenario homes 157
bird species, of which 72 are residents, 62 are regular
visitors and 24 sporadic visitors.
Conservationist and
investigation efforts are being made today to entirely
preserve this natural treasure. |
