Colonial Mansions

Historical Building

V!VA User‘s Description

Arequipa boasts some of the best preserved and finest colonial architecture in all of Peru. Because most of these casonas were built as single story structures, they have withstood the various earthquakes that leveled other buildings in the city. One of the best houses is the Casa del Moral (Moral 318, Tel: 51-54-214-907, Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., $1.50, students $1), which dates back to around 1700. The house gets its name from the beautiful mora, or mulberry tree which graces the courtyard paved with river stones and surrounded by gorgeous ochre walls. Perched on the front doors of the house are elaborately carved pumas and serpents. The interior of the house is decorated with art and furniture from the period.

Down the street from Casa del Moral is the beautiful Casona Iriberry (San Agustin on the Plaza de Armas, Tel: 5154-204-482, daily 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., free). The house was built in 1793 and was recently converted into the Centro Cultural Chávez de la Rosa. The house's spacious rooms open onto a series of elegant stone patios, and the doorways dawn carved messages in Spanish. Those with good eyesight and even better Spanish can enjoy translating for companions lacking in either of the above.

Other houses of interest include the Casa Tristán del Pozo, recently converted into a cultural center and offices for the Banco Continental, and Casa Goyenche, which features an ecclesiastical coat-of-arms of José Sebastián Goyeneche (1784-1872), the former bishop of Arequipa.

Arequipa's three-hour tour campiña, or country tour, also gives travelers a chance to see some other fine examples of seigniorial houses.