Arequipa’s best known tourist attraction is the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. An active monastery for over 400 years, the compound has survived several earthquakes and is still home to a small number of nuns.

The housing for the nuns was spacious but spare. In the early days of the convent the novices were required to come from wealthy families and were also required to provide a substantial dowry as part of their pledges to join the order.

The monastery is quite large and the self-guided tour took us about two hours to complete. We wandered into every open door and read every note on the wall we could find. Below are the photos of our afternoon visit.