Misti

Misti, also known as Putina or Guagua Putina, is a stratovolcano of andesite, dacite, and rhyolite located in southern Peru near the city of Arequipa. With its seasonally snow-capped, symmetrical cone, Misti stands at above sea level and lies between mount Chachani () and Pichu Pichu volcano (). Its last eruption was in , 198 years after its previous documented eruption.
Description.
Misti has three concentric craters. Active fumaroles (volcanic gas vents) can be seen in the inner crater. Near the inner crater, six Inca mummies and rare Inca artifacts were found in 1998 during a month-long excavation directed by archaeologists Johan Reinhard and Jose Antonio Chavez. These findings are currently stored at the "Museo de Santuarios Andinos" in Arequipa.
The volcano has two main climbing routes. The Pastores route starts at . Usually a camp is made at at Nido de Aguilas. The Aguada Blanca route starts at near the Aguada Blanca reservoir, and a camp is made at at Monte Blanco (the camp is named after Mont Blanc, the summit of which is approximately the same elevation as the camp). Neither climbing route presents technical difficulties, but both are considered strenuous because of the steep loose sand slopes.
Surrounding area.
A long history of eruptions from Misti and its neighboring volcanoes has caused the local soil to be extremely fertile, making the surrounding area one of the most agriculturally productive in Peru. Locals also make extensive use of a white volcanic rock called "sillar", which is strong but easily workable. The city of Arequipa has a significant number of buildings constructed with "sillar", resulting in the nickname "la ciudad blanca" ("the white city").