Iglesia San Francisco (San Francisco Church), Arequipa (must see)

Founded by the Franciscan Order in 1552 and finally completed in 1569 by Gaspar Báez, this old monastery tells an interesting story about Arequipa's past religious identity. After reconstruction work in the 17th century, San Francisco Church became the largest complex in the country to have been built using ashlar stone. The rich, ornate interior of the church includes a Baroque-style embossed silver altar, an intricately carved pulpit, choir chairs and wooden figurines. Inside the complex is a small square, a temple used as the head office of a craft center and a library holding over twenty thousand volumes.