Many times we focus so much on the historical and cultural attractions of Arequipa that we forget that the most “human” side of every Peruvian city is in its central market, in this case the Mercado San Camilo de Arequipa.
The traditional San Camilo market is the main market in the city of Arequipa. Unmissable during your visit to Arequipa, since it has the famous juices prepared at the moment with natural fruits from the hands of our famous Arequipa juicers.
Mercado San Camilo was designed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. (The same one that built the famous Eifel Tower in Paris, France). The market was built on the land of what was a church and cloisters of the order of the Camilos parents that began to be built in 1905. The San Camilo Market is considered a Monumental Historical Heritage Representative of Public Civil Architecture. It is one of the oldest markets in the city with an age of 130 years.
Since the city of Arequipa was founded, it did not have a large supply center, but market purchases were made in the Pulperías (today similar to a warehouse) and on Sundays in the Plaza Mayor, where awnings were seen of the sales stalls of the peddlers (street vendors) that sold staple foods, in the background the portals of the municipality whose heights were closed arches with windows, which were used as offices of the notaries (today’s notaries), and on top on top The dome and tower of the Church of the Company The church and cloisters occupied by the order of the Camillian fathers could not be restored after the earthquake of 1868, and everything had to collapse to build the Market of supplies of the city between 1905 and 1910, which remains today with the name Mercado de San Camilo.
Something curious about this market is that despite being one of the most visited tourist attractions in Arequipa, there is no tour that takes you to see it, so pay attention so as not to miss the most important activities:
Take note of the following summary so that you can get to know the San Camilo Market on your own.
The San Camilo Market is open from Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Sundays it operates from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Admission to the market is free, with regard to food prices, these range between S/ 5 to S/ 15.
The San Camilo Market is located between Alto de la Luna, Peru, San Camilo and Piérola Streets in the Historic Center of Arequipa (see map below).
You can walk to the San Camilo Market from the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa, the approximate distance is 600 meters.
Another alternative is to take a taxi, in which case the cost is around S/ 5 each way.
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