Wender·Vista
Arequipa
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeru
in southern Peru, under the cone of El Misti volcano

Arequipa

— — a white city cut from the volcano above it.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A high city built almost entirely from sillar, the pale volcanic stone the surrounding peaks have been shedding for millennia. The Plaza de Armas is ringed with twin-storey arcades cut from the same white block; behind them rises El Misti, almost six kilometres up. Inside the Santa Catalina monastery the walls are painted ochre and indigo, and the air is twenty degrees cooler than the street. — from the studio

from the studio
Arequipa
— bring it home

Arequipa, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Arequipa

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Arequipa is the capital of Peru's Arequipa Region and the country's second most populous city, set on a high plain at about 2,335 metres in the western Andes. Three volcanoes ring the valley: El Misti at 5,822 metres directly to the north-east, Chachani at 6,057 metres to the north, and Pichu Pichu to the east. Spanish colonists refounded the city on 15 August 1540, and the historic centre, almost entirely built in sillar, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

— the stone

Sillar is a white, ash-rich ignimbrite that pours from the surrounding volcanoes during major eruptions and cools into a porous, workable block. Quarried mostly at Añashuayco west of the city, it has been the dominant building material since the 16th century. Walls are cut thick to absorb earthquakes; the city has weathered major shocks in 1600, 1868, and 2001 with much of the colonial core still standing. The light off the stone in late afternoon is the reason for the city's epithet, La Ciudad Blanca.

— informed by Wikipedia — Sillar
— the visit

The Monasterio de Santa Catalina, founded in 1579 and walled off from the city for almost 400 years, is the centrepiece of any visit. It opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a slow walk through its painted lanes takes two to three hours. The Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, and the Compañía de Jesús sit within five minutes' walk. Most travellers acclimatise in Arequipa for a day or two before heading 160 kilometres north to the Colca Canyon and the Cruz del Cóndor lookout.

— where
Peru · Arequipa, Arequipa Region
— elevation
2,335 m · 7,661 ft
— position
-16.4090° S · 71.5375° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
17 km NE
El Misti
stratovolcano (5,822 m)
at the lake
Santa Catalina Monastery
cloistered monastery
160 km N
Colca Canyon
canyon and condor lookout
2 km W
Yanahuara
sillar-arcaded viewpoint
N
Arequipa
El Misti
Santa Catalina Monastery
Colca Canyon
Yanahuara
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Arequipa — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Arequipa is in southern Peru, set on a high plain in the western Andes at about 2,335 metres, ringed by three volcanoes: El Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu. It is the capital of the Arequipa Region.

Almost the entire colonial core is built from sillar, a pale volcanic ignimbrite quarried west of the city. The stone reflects strong Andean light, especially in the late afternoon, which gives Arequipa its epithet La Ciudad Blanca.

El Misti reaches 5,822 metres above sea level and rises directly north-east of the city. It is an active stratovolcano; the most recent confirmed eruption was a small ash event in 1985.

It is a Dominican cloister founded in 1579 and sealed off from the city for nearly four centuries. The complex covers about 20,000 square metres of painted lanes, courtyards, and cells, and has been open to visitors since 1970.

The Spanish refoundation took place on 15 August 1540 under Garcí Manuel de Carbajal. Pre-Hispanic settlement of the valley by Aymara and Quechua peoples long predates the colonial city.

Arequipa sits at about 2,335 metres. Most visitors feel only a mild lightness for a day; it is commonly used as an acclimatisation stop before higher destinations such as Colca Canyon or Cusco.

— about the piece in your home

Customers with family in southern Peru have chosen it for parents and grandparents. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads well in a hallway; a Coaster Set works as a quieter gesture.

The chalk-white, indigo, and ochre palette sits with Spanish-colonial wood, warm minimalist, and Andean-textile rooms. It is also at home in jewel-tone maximalist schemes that already use deep blue and ochre.

Above a console, a Large reads cleanly. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the arcade and volcano line; a 9-tile Mural suits an open-plan feature wall in landscape orientation.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet wall, backsplash, or shower install. The Glossy finish is intended for framed wall placements away from steam and direct splash.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles routine dust. For kitchen grease or shower film, a drop of mild soap on a damp cloth and a clean-water wipe keep the surface clear.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to a single Knoxville studio. We do not license imagery in or out, and the colour lives slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.