On my only day in Arequipa I try and pack in as much as possible. After a walk around the elegant Plaza de Armas, with arcaded bars and restaurants on three sides, the massive Cathedral on the other.
My first stop is the Museo Santuarios Andinos, where the frozen Inca mummy known as 'Juanita' is on display. Her story is an amazing one. In 1995 mountaineer Johan Reinhard discovered her bundled frozen body in the crater of Mount Ampato outside Arequipa. Recent eruptions of the nearby Sabancaya volcano had sent hot ash into the air, melting the glacier on top of Ampato and exposing the burial site. Her body had fallen into the crater. Wrapped in finely woven blankets she had been well preserved for over 500 years. Tests revealed she had died from a violent blow to the head. Several other child mummies have been discovered on nearby mountains. The deaths were sacrifices made by the Incas to appease their gods following natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, storms etc. Unfortunately 'Juanita' isn't on display between January and April, so we see another mummy named 'Sarita' who isn't quite as well preserved. The tour is very moving, unsensationalist and leaves us with heavy hearts.
Another interesting story is that of the Santa Catalina Monastery, opened in 1970 after four hundred years of mystery. The private monastery is a miniature walled city with several cobbled streets, plazas and cloisters. Aristocratic nuns lived a hedonistic lifestyle at one point before someone was sent in to 'straighten' them out. In its prime up to 450 nuns lived here, now there are about 30. It's a huge complex, painted in terracotta and blue, which has been beautifully refurbished. http://www.santacatalina.org.pe/
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