Museo de Arte y Monasterio de Santa Catalina

From the Plaza de Armas [1], head down Arequipa to Museo de Arte y Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Arequipa, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., US$2.50 or US$5 with entry to Coricancha [2]), which was built on top of the enclosure where the chosen virgins of the Inca lived, known as the acllahuasi, or “house of the chosen ones.”

In a strange historical twist, the Spaniards converted the building into a convent, where 30 nuns remain cloistered to this day. Holy women have thus lived in this building for at least five centuries.

The museum has a good collection of Cusco School paintings and an impressive Renaissance altar. A highlight is a trunk containing miniature figurines depicting the life of Christ, which was used by Catholic missionaries for proselytizing in far-flung regions of Peru.