Leaving Arequipa, you quickly
hit the desert, which, as you get closer to the coast, becomes
the driest desert in the world. This shot is from 10 miles outside
the city. At the far edge of the flat area is an archaeological
site called El Arenal de Uchumayo, a probable outpost of the Wari
Empire, which flourished from about AD 550 to 850. The site shows
up as a white spot below the hills in the background. The white
patches on the hills themselves are volcanic ash deposits that
are still blowing around from a giant eruption of the volcano
Huaynaputina (located over 100 miles to the south) in the year
1600.
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