One of the motives that decided Pizarro to choose the base of the Misti as a site for the construction of a colonial city was expressed in his formal authorization, which set forth that, in the ten months that the Spaniards had lived there, none of their number had died, though they formed a considerable settlement. Favored by the circumstances that bountiful Nature and human industry contributed to the new city from the period of its foundation, Arequipa grew and flourished, and in the time of the Viceroy Toledo, it received by the royal decree of King Philip II. the honorable title of “very noble and very loyal.” A notable compliment was paid to the ladies of Arequipa in this decree, which compared them to the Roman matrons in devotion and self-sacrifice, praising the spirit shown in the giving up of their jewels to raise a royal donation, a few years before. [Illustration: A CELEBRATION OF MASS ON THE SUMMIT OF THE MISTI.] Arequipa is a “white city,” built of native stone from the inexhaustible quarries of the Misti. The stone is of volcanic formation, white, porous, and easily chiselled; in the older edifices, which were constructed during the time of the viceroyalty, the façades are exquisitely carved in designs as fine as lace work, showing how well this stone lends itself to the beauties of decorative architecture. Owing to the numerous earthquakes which have visited Arequipa in the past, it is the custom to build only one and two-story structures, the walls being sometimes more than three feet in thickness. Many of the houses are built with a vaulted roof, the arch offering greatest resistance to the destructive force of seismic convulsions. As there is plenty of space available, the most costly residences cover a considerable area, having large _patios_, or interior courts, which are paved with ornamental tiles, and arranged with handsome _jardinières_ of plants and flowers. Some of the _patios_ are beautified with trees and a flower garden, while others have an artistic fountain in the midst. Arequipa has not yet reached the period of congested thoroughfares and a population that can be accommodated only by means of “skyscrapers.” These huge towers with little more than pigeon-holes for rooms, which are among the necessary evils of overcrowded modern centres, are still unknown to the city of the emerald _ceinture_.