Arequipa is a volcanically active region with a number of stratovolcanoes that have erupted repeated over the past 10,000 years. These peaks include Huayna Putina, Misti, Sabancaya, and Ubinas (Gerbe and Thouret 2004;Thouret, et al. 2002;Thouret, et al. 2002;Thouret, et al. 2001;Thouret, et al. 2005). The regular deposition of tephra from these peaks provides consistent strata that may aid in archaeological excavation work. Archaeologists working in the western cordillera will benefit from the tephrachronology sequences currently being developed by volcanologists in the region.