During an inventory process, specialists from the Regional Archive of Arequipa discovered unpublished documents dating from the 16th and 19th centuries, including the original construction contract of the Arequipa Cathedral and the historic Bolognesi bridge.
The director of the Regional Archive of Arequipa, José Villalba, reported that the findings occurred within the framework of the Inventory update promoted by the institution, Thanks to financial support of 5,000 euros of hyperarchivos. Two archivists participate in the project, graduates of the Professional School of History of the National University of San Agustín, specialists in Paleography, who review and classify the documents.
“We have found the construction contract of the Arequipa Cathedral, that of the Bolognesi bridge – which was previously known as the old bridge – that of its reconstruction after the earthquake, in addition to the testament of Francisco Luna Pizarro and other documents of great historical value,” Villalba said. The director said the archives will be progressively digitized and shared with the Arequipa community.
CATHEDRAL
He Document dated July 18, 1590was written by the notary Adrián Ufelde and consigns the agreement to lift the main temple of Arequipa. The Gaspar Báez and Nicolás Alonso builders They promised to execute the work on the commission of Hernando de la Torre, butler of the Mayor Church.
The text specifies the use of materials such as brick and volcanic stone (ashlar), And he mentions the construction of two towers, although the architects prioritized the one on the left side, visible from the Chili River, a usual entrance point to the colonial city. “One of the towers included metal parts in its structure, while the other rose mostly with wood,” The archivist Yorgan Saúl Jacobo Puelles explained.
The importance of the contract lies not only in its seniority – more than four centuries – but also in the technical and social information it contains. According to Jacobo Puelles, the document reveals that the Labor used mainly from enslaved people of African origindue to its low cost at the time, while the indigenous participation was lower.
RECONSTRUCTION
Another relevant finding corresponds to the reconstruction contract of the Arequipa Cathedral, signed after the devastating earthquake of 1868. The agreement was promoted by the priest Manuel Bejarano, together with the prefect of the department of Cercado and the architect Lucas Poblete, responsible for directing the works.
The document mentions the reconstruction of towers and the inclusion of a eardrum On the main facade, an element that finally did not materialize – it is presumed due to lack of budget or design modifications. Today, that figure is symbolically remembered through LED light games that illuminate the temple during religious festivities.
Bolognesi bridge
The Bolognesi bridge construction contractoriginally known as the old bridge or royal bridge, dated in the first years of the viceregal period. The Bernardino builders of Olave and Juan Blanco assumed the work commissioned by the Arequipa Cabildo, which organized a public collection to finance it.
The document highlights the use of black and porous volcanic stone, ideal to resist moisture from the Chili River. “The Bolognesi bridge is one of the greatest representations of Spanish architecture in Peru, for its arches structure that is still firm and in use”explained Moisés Smith Flores Flores, another of the young researchers.
According to Flores, the work replaced an ancient Inca hanging bridge which connected the communities of the Valley with the urban center, and allowed to consolidate regional trade during the colonial centuries.
