La Cárcel de Siglo XX, Former prison building in the historic centre of Arequipa, Peru

La Cárcel de Siglo XX is a large stone building in central Arequipa designed and constructed as a penal facility. Its facade features several distinctive towers that are key elements of the overall design.

The building was constructed in the early 20th century and served as a prison for roughly 65 years before closing in 1987. After the inmates were relocated, the structure was repurposed for different uses.

The building reflects early 20th-century Peruvian prison design and follows patterns seen in other institutions of that era. Walking around it, you notice how the architecture expresses the correctional philosophies of that time.

The building is owned by the Provincial Municipality of Arequipa, which uses much of the area as a warehouse and has ceded the administrative part to INPE; interior access is therefore not set up for visitors. The exterior can be seen from the surrounding streets, and the two facade towers rebuilt in 2015 after the 2001 earthquake are visible from outside.

Víctor Apaza Quispe was shot at the foot of the eastern corner tower, at the junction of Santa Rosa and Corbacho streets, in September 1971. He was the last civilian executed under capital punishment in Peru; five days later, President Juan Velasco Alvarado abolished the death penalty for common crimes.