Pan-American Highway, National Geographic Book: Architecture in Historic Arequipa, Peru
El Misti volcano rises behind the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa on the Plaza de Armas, which radiates a shocking sunset glow in the city of Arequipa, Peru. The imposing Catholic Church is one of Peru’s most unusual and famous colonial cathedrals since the Spanish conquest. The cathedral was originally constructed in 1656 and stood for two centuries until it was gutted by fire. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1868 and rebuilt although it has sustained damage from earthquakes many times. A large earthquake hit Arequipa in June of 2001, which toppled one of the cathedral’s towers.