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Historical Outline
The region possesses very ancient historical roots. There are human remains dating 8,000 years back to the late Paleolithic period. Evidence of Paleolithic man is to be found in the areas of Yaramba in Pampa Colorada, and in Sumbay, in the vicinity of the El Misti Volcano. In these sites there are caves with paintings. Arequipa was never a place of origin or main seat for any of the great paramount Civilizations of Peru, such as Chavin, Nasca, Wari, Mochica or Inca. However, the influence of all of these –in varying degrees- was perceived and assimilated by the local populations, who developed adroitly crafted techniques of ceramics and textile production, as well as efficient methods of irrigation, soil management and cultivation of crops. When the Inca expansion reached this area in the XV century, they found two well-established and clearly defined ethnic groups inhabiting it, mostly in the area in and around the Colca Canyon (see below). These were the Collaguas and the Cabanas, both characterized by a very proficient level of agricultural development. The remains of their hillside terracing and well designed and built irrigation channels can be perceived to this very day. Many of these are still in use.
The Spanish landed in Peru in 1532. On August 15th of the year 1540, the Spanish captain García Manuel Carbajal founded the Villa Hermosa de Arequipa, although a number of other historical sources ascribe the founding of the city to Francisco Pizarro, who was Carbajal’s commanding officer. Whatever the case, one year after the founding, the Habsburg King Charles of Spain (Charles I as king of Spain, Charles V as German emperor) raised it to the status of city and granted a coat of arms, which it continues to bear in present times. As a Spanish built city, with no major native or Inca presence, and of recent founding, the colonial history of Arequipa was somewhat uneventful. But from the beginning of the XIX century, the pro-independence movement led by Peruvian born Criollos of European descent became very active. Among some of the most prominent names of these men can be mentioned. Juan Pablo Vizcardo y Guzmán, author of a controversial revolutionary treatise entitled “Open Letter to the Spanish Americans”, calling for secession from Spain; Francisco Javier de Luna Pizarro, president of the first Constitutional Convention in 1822; and the poet Mariano Melgar , executed by a Spanish firing squad in Humachiri. On the other hand, the pro-Spanish element in Arequipa was very strong, as was also the case in Lima. However in Arequipa it was far more powerful. Many prominent Arequipeños fought in the Spanish army. One of the most successful and efficient generals in the Spanish army, who inflicted several defeats upon the patriots, bringing most of Bolivia and parts of northern Argentina back under temporary Spanish control, was José Manuel Goyeneche, born in Arequipa. And one of the last Spanish Governors of southern Peru, General Pio Tristán, was also from Arequipa. But once independence was fully established, the city became and remained forever faithful to Peru.
Nowadays, Arequipa is the most important commercial and industrial center of southern Peru. A crossroads of railways, roads and air routes, it is also surrounded by major mining establishments. It is likewise known for its very politically independent minded citizenry and has been the staging ground for several revolutions against the central government. At the same time, several prominent political leaders and presidents of Peru came from Arequipa.