Walk among the historic sillar quarries and learn about the iconic white volcanic rock used in the city's architecture. Discover the enigmatic petroglyphs that offer insights into ancient civilisations. This tour blends history, culture, and archaeology for a captivating experience.
Itinerary:
Pick up from the hotels located in the centre of Arequipa.
• We begin our journey towards the Sillar Route, which is a tourist route with a lot of history and living culture, where we visit quarries and areas where the ashlar originated.
• The first point we will stop at will be the Añashuayco Quarry; which we will arrive in approximately 45 minutes. It is currently in operation, the stonemasons carry out their work very early; In the place we can see an immense canyon with cliffs (ignimbrite walls) that are several metres high, formed by the extraction for the formation of the Ashlars. At this point we will tell you the history of ashlar, its production and the use that has always been given to it. In this quarry you can see a Megacarving of the Church of the Company of Jesus made by the stonemasons themselves.
• Next we will move to the Quebrada de Culebrillas, which is 30 minutes away from Añashuayco. Arriving at this point we will take a walk of approximately 20 minutes inside the small canyon that was formed by the passage of water, which has walls of 15 to 20 metres, as we enter it the walls of the canyon increase in height. At the end of the walk we can see petroglyphs made by the Wari culture more than a thousand years ago. Before returning to the city we will observe the Apachetas, which are stone formations placed one on top of the other that are a symbol of gratitude towards nature.
• We will begin the return journey to the city of Arequipa.
We will arrive at the centre of Arequipa and we will leave you near the main square.