Cercado — Historic Center

The heart of the city

Cercado is the central historic district of Arequipa, containing the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, Santa Catalina Monastery, and the highest concentration of colonial architecture in the city. It is the core zone of the Historic Center declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2000. Cercado was designed following the Spanish checkerboard model — a regular grid of blocks around a central plaza — imposed on all cities founded by the Spanish in South America during the 16th century. In Arequipa, this grid remains substantially intact after 480 years, which is extraordinary for a city that has suffered major earthquakes.

The Plaza de Armas

Arequipa's Plaza de Armas is considered one of the most beautiful main squares in Peru. Three of its four sides are surrounded by colonial portales — white sillar arcades that provide shade and shelter from rain — with shops, restaurants, and hotels inside. The entire north side is occupied by the 130-meter Cathedral facade. In the center of the plaza, a bronze fountain from 1882 and palm trees that provide shade during the day. The plaza is the city's reference point: everything is measured from here, every meeting begins or ends here, and every procession passes through here.

Colonial mansions

Cercado houses dozens of colonial mansions — houses of Arequipeño aristocratic families built in sillar between the 17th and 19th centuries. Many have been converted into boutique hotels, upscale restaurants, or cultural centers. Casa del Moral, on Calle Moral, is one of the best preserved: built in the 18th century, its baroque doorway is a perfect example of the fusion between European ornamentation and Andean iconographic motifs. Casa Ricketts, at the corner of the plaza, was home to a famous bank and has one of the most elaborate doorways in the city. BBVA Continental converted it into its main branch — the architect who restored it in the 20th century chose to preserve the entire sillar facade while modernizing the interior.

Urban life

Cercado is also the most active commercial zone in Arequipa. Mercado San Camilo, two blocks from the Plaza de Armas on Calle Piérola, is the city's most important food market — where Arequipeños shop, not where tourists browse. Jirón Mercaderes is the main pedestrian street of the center, flanked by banks, clothing stores, jewelry shops, and bookstores. Life in Cercado starts early — the market opens at 6am — and doesn't end until late evening, when the bars and restaurants in the plaza's portales fill up after 8pm.