In the Republican era, it was awarded the title of "Heroic city of the free people of Arequipa". It has also been the cradle of notable intellectual, political and religious figures. During the viceregal period, it acquired importance for its outstanding economic role, and is characterized by the fidelismo towards the Spanish Crown, which honored Arequipa with titles such as "Very Noble and Very Loyal." In the Republican history of Peru, the city has been the focus of popular, civic and democratic rebellions. On 22 September 1541, the monarch Carlos V ordered that it should be called the "City of Arequipa". The city was founded on 15 August 1540, under the name of "Beautiful Villa of Our Lady of the Assumption" in the name of Marquis Francisco Pizarro. The town maintains close commercial links with Chile, Bolivia, and Brazil and with the cities connected by the South trainway, as well as with the port of Matarani. Within its industrial activity the manufactured products and the textile production of wool of camelids. Īrequipa is also an important industrial and commercial center of Peru, and is considered as the second industrial city of the country. The city has a Nominal GDP of 9,445 million (USD) and a nominal GDP per capita of US$10,277, which represents a GDP per capita PPP of US$18,610 in the period 2015, being the city with the second-highest economic activity in Peru. Its metropolitan area integrates twenty-one districts, including the foundational central area, which it is the seat of the city government.