The Independent Republic of ArequipaArequipa, Perus second largest city, has the most intense regional culture in the central Andes. Arequipeos fiercely conceive of themselves as exceptional and distinctive, yet also broadly representative of the nations overall hybrid naturea blending of coast (modern, white) and sierra (traditional, indigenous). The Independent Republic of Arequipa investigates why and how this regional identity developed in a boom of cultural production after the War