The House of the Mulberry — named for a venerable tree still standing in the central courtyard — was built around 1730 by a prosperous Spanish merchant family. Its main portal is the most extravagantly carved facade of any private home in the city: sillar swarming with snakes, flowers, faces, and a coat-of-arms with a Spanish crown and Inca motifs side by side. The interior, restored by the bank that now owns the building, displays colonial furniture, paintings, silver, and an 18th-century chess set.
The visit takes about 45 minutes. Climb to the rooftop terrace for one of the better views in the centre, with El Misti in the background and the bell towers of three churches in the foreground. Combine with a stop at Casa Goyeneche a block away for a more complete picture of Arequipeñan colonial domestic life.