What did Arequipa look like more than a century ago?
A new photography exhibition invites visitors to discover the city through rare historical images documenting its streets, landscapes, buildings, traditions and everyday life during the early 20th century. “La Ciudad Perdida. Arequipa: En la mirada de los Hermanos Vargas, Enrique Macías, Manuel Mancilla” brings together the work of photographers Carlos and Miguel Vargas, Enrique Macías and Manuel Mancilla, whose photographs capture Arequipa and the wider Andean south during a period of significant change.
The images show a city transitioning toward modern urban life, while preserving scenes of its plazas, cobblestone streets, businesses, local characters and traditional customs. The exhibition is also the result of decades of research and preservation work by curators Peter Yenne and Adelma Benavente, who have recovered and digitized historical photographic archives from the region, including nearly 4,000 glass negatives by the Vargas brothers. The title “La Ciudad Perdida” refers to places, landscapes and ways of life that have disappeared or changed as Arequipa expanded, offering visitors an opportunity to reflect on the city’s transformation and cultural heritage.
The exhibition is open until September 14, 2026, at the Galería de Arte del Cultural, located at Calle Melgar 109 in Arequipa. Admission is free, with visiting hours from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.