arequipa, unlike other big peruvian cities with mestizo and indigenous features, has been labeled as a "spanish island in an indigenous sea", because of its regional cultural features more clearly defined than in the rest of peru, described as a cultural and natural oasis. culture in arequipa is marked by the regionalism of its inhabitants; in fact, unlike other regional sentiments within peru, arequipa's regionalism was connected to the fight against centralism. this proud regionalism, expressed in numerous insurrections or revolutions have earned the city the nickname "ciudad caudillo" (warlord city) or better explained by peruvian historian jorge basadre: "arequipa is a gun pointed at the heart of lima", when making a reference to the antagonism between the cities.