Description

Your trip to Arequipa can't be complete without a visit to its ashlar quarries. The tour takes you through the Cerro Colorado district, 14 kilometers northeast of Arequipa (a 45-minute drive). During the trip, you'll not only have the opportunity to see how the main architectural material of the "White City" is worked, but you'll also appreciate stunning natural landscapes. The tour covers a length of 2,000 meters and allows visitors to explore the Añashuayco, Cortadores, and Culebrillas quarries. The tours are organized by the Arequipa Research, Education, and Development Center (CIED). The tour takes 3 to 4 hours. Although there is no recommended age for participating in the Ruta del Sillar , it should be noted that there are continuous walks of up to 40 minutes to tour the quarries. At the Añashuayco quarry , for example, you can see small sculptures, shields, and many other pieces crafted from sillar. You'll also see up close how large blocks of stone are extracted. The experience is complemented by a demonstration of cutting and shaping an sillar block. Another stop is Culebrillas. Tourists will hike through the ravine and admire petroglyphs etched into the cliffs. It's recommended to wear athletic clothing, comfortable sneakers, and sunglasses for the trek.

Itinerary

Day 1

• DETAILED ITINERARY: 9:00 a.m.
• – Time for meeting point in Alvarez Thomas Street 115, One block to the Main Square 9:15 a.m.
• – We will start by visiting the Yanahuara viewpoint, to appreciate some structures made of sillar and have a privileged view of the city and the Volcanoes Then continue with our tour of the Sillar Route , a sightseeing tour steeped in history and living culture.
• We visit quarries and areas where sillar originated.
• The first stop will be the Añashuayco Quarry, which we will reach in approximately 45 minutes.
• Currently in operation, the stonemasons work very early in the morning.
• Here, we can admire an immense canyon with cliffs (ignimbrite walls) several meters high, formed by the extraction process to form the ashlars.
• At this point, we will tell you about the history of sillar, its production, and its historical uses.
• At this quarry, you can see a megacarving of the Church of the Society of Jesus, made by the stonemasons themselves.
• We can also visit some of them so they can explain their daily work and show us how we can cut one of their stone blocks ourselves.
• Next, we'll head toward Quebrada de Culebrillas , a 30-minute drive from Añashuayco.
• At this point, we'll hike for approximately 20 minutes inside the small canyon formed by the passage of water.
• The walls are 15 to 20 meters high.
• As we head deeper, the canyon walls increase in height.
• At the end of the hike, we'll see petroglyphs made by the Wari culture over a thousand years ago.
• Before returning to the city, we'll observe the Apachetas , stone formations stacked one on top of the other.
• They symbolize gratitude toward nature and also attract good luck, creating a mystical feeling.
• 12:00pm - We will begin the return journey to the city of Arequipa.
• 1:00 p.m.
• – We will arrive in downtown Arequipa and drop you off near the main square.
• The same itinerary is possible with departure 2:00 pm, and it has a equal duration , aprox 4 hours.
• and finish again in the city center.