My name is Elías Santana, a Civil Engineer by profession, a lover of the study of structures, especially the behavior of these in the face of natural events such as earthquakes and an admirer of architectural beauty, where the creativity of man made artist is materialized, as is the Architect. In connection with my presentation to the community, I would like to take you on a tour of the interiors of the University of San Agustin, located in the city of Arequipa, Peru.
This headquarters of the Universidad San Agustón is an interesting structure that mixes ashlar, a typical construction material of the area and of volcanic origin, with impressive wood details, which give the building a touch between classic and modern. The interior walls, built with ashlar material, show a great resistance due to their thickness; in aesthetic aspects, the clean finish is quite original, that is to say, these walls are not painted, but it is something that they simply do not need.


It is fascinating the interaction with these wooden elements, which come to fulfill the function of columns that support the wooden ceilings that decorate the space, an architecture that mixes the features of the Spanish colony with the present. The antique touch given by the hanging lamps makes this place quite cozy, where you can pick up a book and start reading.



And when we talk about modern aspects, the staircase leading to the upper floors of this majestic structure, has a quite spacious design, where the central dividing structure represents a quite elegant detail to divide the flow of people who are going down and those who are going up, who upon reaching the next floor level, will be delighted with spaces made entirely in wood .


Definitely the wood gives a super elegant touch, and admire how these spaces shine, to be more specific the wood literally shines, which demonstrates the culture of conservation to the heritage of the area, something Arequipa was decreed Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001.


It is interesting how the native material of the area, is the one that predominates in the buildings, and this material as I pointed out in the first paragraphs is the ashlar. I am from the city of Santa Ana de Coro, Venezuela, and I notice the great contrast, because in my homeland where I was born, the main construction material used to build the structures is clay, a material that is undoubtedly more vulnerable than ashlar to the rains. The ashlar is quite resistant, so it is no coincidence that the structures of the historic center of Arequipa, are quite well preserved.


Continuing with the exploration of the spaces of the University of San Agustin, we were delighted with an exhibition of vaulted ceilings, all built in ashlar, simply fascinating, gives a beautiful architectural unparalleled to these passages that lead to various rooms where events are held, classes are taught, among other utilities that those in charge of these spaces define.


Inside the facilities it is common to find benches to take a seat, and as I mentioned before, the space is so cozy that it inspires peace, calm, and makes you take out a book and start reading. In the pool that decorates the center of the courtyard, there are some beautiful fish.

What did you think of this tour? I want to make a special mention to my wife
who has accompanied and guided me through the spaces of the University of San Agustín, and also supported me in the process of taking the various photographs. I also want to make a special mention to my mother Yolanda, who was also there accompanying us. I hope you have enjoyed all this tour, where we have enjoyed an architectural style that mixes the influence of the Spanish colony and the modernity of Arequipa, with native proposals of the area, which have led it to become a Cultural Heritage of Humanity. See you in the next opportunity, to continue sharing with you more architectural beauties of the beautiful white city of Arequipa Peru.

For example, it is pending to access more sites of the University of San Agustin, since it has several sites, such as these images of which I hope to get better shots. It is exciting to have a community in the HIVE blockchain where we can share our appreciations about the architectural beauties that surround us. I hope you enjoyed the reading, written for you:
Notes of interest
All photographs are property of the author of the publication and they were taken by my wife
and my people
.
The equipment used to take the various photographs was my Redmi Note 11-Pro cell phone.
English is not my native language, so I have used as an aid to present the information in English to DeepL
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