Cuzco City

With a history dating back to 1200 AD, Cusco is often referred to as the 'Archeological Capital of the Americas.'  Aside from the altitude (11,000+ feet), the most striking thing about Cusco is the fact that the 'new' Spanish city was built on top of the original Inca walls.

It’s a tribute to the Incas that their design has survived the test of time while the Spanish colonial architecture has been rebuilt several times following earthquakes that have hit the city. 

The Sun Temple was Cuzco's most important ceremonial structure – it was the holiest of holy sites in this holy city of the Incas.   Its walls were lined with solid gold sheets weighing about 4 pounds each. There were life-size gold and silver replicas of corn, golden llamas, figurines and jars.  The golden walls were studded with emeralds and turquoise.  When sunlight streamed through the windows, the reflection of light off the precious metals was blinding.  All that remains today is the stonework; the Spanish conquistadors took the rest - unfortunately all the exquisite treasures ended up being melted down; nothing survived.

Somehow, the first conquistadors did not remove the holiest religious symbol of the empire, the golden sun disc, though they reported its existence. This solid gold disc, far larger than a man, mysteriously vanished before the main party of Spaniards arrived. To this day, it has never been found. The disc was positioned to catch the morning sun and throw its rays into the gold-lined temple, filling it with radiant light and bathing the mummies of the dead Inca rulers in sunshine as they rested in niches along the walls.

The entire temple complex was also an  celestial observatory. Every summer solstice, the sun's rays shine directly into a niche in which only the Inca ruler was permitted to sit. Along with the main temple dedicated to the Sun, there were others for the lesser deities - the Moon, Venus, Thunder and Lightning, and the Rainbow. 

After the Spanish conquest, the Santo Domingo Church was built in the 17th century on the walls of the Inca Temple of the Sun. The uninspiring Baroque decoration of Santo Domingo makes a poor contrast to the superbly crafted Inca masonry.  The church was largely destroyed by earthquake, but the Inca structures still stand.  After the church was rebuilt in the 1950’s, much of the cloister was gutted to reveal some of the original chambers of the great Inca Temple.

The city of Cuzco was laid out in the shape of a puma, a sacred beast in Inca lore. The heart of the puma is also the heart of the city - the Plaza de Armas.  During Inca times the Plaza was a place of ceremonies and military parades. When the Inca conquered new lands they would bring back some of the soil to be mixed with the soil here, as a symbolic gesture to incorporate the newly gained territories into the Inca Empire.

 The Plaza was once flanked with Inca palaces. Today it is home to churches, shops, restaurants and bars.  Many of the buildings have beautifully carved wooden balconies overlooking the Plaza.

  

The Cathedral of Santa Domingo dominates the northeast side of the Plaza and sits on the foundations of an Inca palace. The Cathedral was begun in 1550 and completed nearly 100 years later, built in the shape of a cross. It contains nearly 400 colonial paintings, including the Last Supper by Marcos Zapata showing Christ and the Apostles about to dine on guinea-pig, washed down with a glass of chicha (the local beer made from corn). 


The Cathedral's magic lies in the mingling of history and legend. It is said that when the Cathedral was built an Inca prince was walled up in one of the towers and that when the tower falls the prince will emerge to claim his birthright and free his people. After the earthquake of 1950, thousands of believers waited hopefully for the tower to collapse; despite severe damage, it did not and was later repaired.

La Compania de Jesus Church is located on the southeast side of the Plaza and rivals the Cathedral in grandeur and prominence. The original structure was built in the 1570's by the Jesuits on an ancient building said to be the most beautiful of all the Inca palaces. The church has an intricate baroque facade and two majestic bell towers.

Artisans are everywhere around town and they're never idle. They're always either spinning or weaving - no rest for these folks.

Lest we get carried away with the ancient beauty of Cusco, our guide introduced us to a present-day reality: the booming black market.  Everything's for sale here, from televisions to toilet paper.  NOW we know where the locals do their shopping.

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The Almudena Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Cuzco, was a most interesting place to spend some time - but getting there was an adventure unto itself.  Our guide gave us each a coin and invited us to experience a ride on a ‘combi.’ 

A combi is a van converted into a mini-bus and used for public transportation.  These privately-owned vehicles are known for being very cheap and convenient, but also for being a bit risky.  They always seem to be crowded and it took a while to find one that we could fit into. Our guide told the driver where to let us off and we had to hold on tight and pray that he would actually stop long enough for us to get off.

The locals on the bus found us quite curious – not many gringos choose this mode of travel – but we made it to our intended destination.  The rest of our travelers arrived in twos and threes as other combis dropped them off.  It was interesting that different vehicles came from different directions and let folks off on different corners, but somehow we all ended up where we were supposed to be.

The cemetery was fascinating.  The tombs are stacked up on top of each other and each tomb has its own enclosed niche into which people can place flowers, photographs or other little mementos that relate to the person. Many had plastic miniature bottles or crates of Cusqueno beer and Inka Cola.

Families take great care of the niches – bringing fresh flowers, cleaning the glass, polishing the metalwork.  As the calendar was approaching All Saints Day, there were quite a few people getting ready for the celebration.

Families also must pay an annual fee for use of the tomb.  If the fee is not paid, the remains are removed and buried in a common area - and the tomb is rented to another family.

After walking around the cemetery, we walked back to downtown Cuzco via a portion of the old Inca Trail – this was a part of the trail that connected the city to the Pacific coast.










The San Pedro Market is a covered, daily open-air market for the citizens of Cusco. The market is about three blocks long, and a wide one block wide – a bit bigger than a soccer field - with a roof overhead.

Remember, this city is more than 11,000 feet above sea level, so it never gets very hot – a good thing since everything in the market is fresh and there’s no sign of refrigeration. The vendors close down their stands every evening and go home, and bring all fresh stuff the next morning in the dark. Massive inventories of goods are brought each day and taken away each night.

This market is not on the ‘standard’ tour of Cusco, so tourists don't usually show up here. We were just as much of a novelty to them as their goods and presentations were to us.  We just enjoyed looking at incredible array of food and other products – some of which we couldn’t identify. 

Our guide bought us some pastries to sample, some cherimoya (fruit) to taste, and a loaf of ‘doll bread’ for us to have at breakfast the next day.  This is a traditional food for All Saints Day.

The Museo Inka (Inca Museum), also known as the Archaeological Museum of Cusco, contains artifacts that trace Peruvian history from pre-Inca civilizations and Inca culture to the impact of the Conquest and colonial times on these native cultures.  The museum is housed in one of Cusco’s finest colonial mansions, built on top of an Inca palace at the beginning of the 17^th Century. 

The main draw of this archaeological museum is its collection of Inca mummies, but the entire facility is a great introduction to pre-Columbian Andean culture, including the rich cultures that thrived before the Incas. The museum's exhibits include ceramics, textiles, vases, jewelry, architectural models, and a collection of Inca drinking vessels carved out of wood, many meticulously painted.  In the courtyard is a studio of women weaving traditional textiles.

Cuzco Vicinity - Machoqolqa, Sacsayhuaman, Kenko and Curandero, Moray, Chinchero

On the outskirts of Cusco, we stopped at Machoqolqa ruins – thought to have been an Inca grain storage facility.  From our vantage point, it looked like lots of terraces carved into the hillside – and a nice view of the valley.

As we arrived, some of the local people were packing up their wares to head home.  We enjoyed a chance to interact with them without the pressure to buy something.

In the hills overlooking Cuzco, we explored the massive Sacsayhuamán archeological site.  Considered by many to be the greatest of the Inca ruins, Sacsayhuamán reveals some of the Incas' most extraordinary architecture and monumental stonework.  It was most likely an Inca military headquarters, although it has a religious site (a temple) on top.

The site’s construction started in the mid-15^th century and took nearly 100 years - and many thousands of men - to complete it. Massive blocks of limestone and other types of stone were brought from as far as 20 miles away. With only natural fiber ropes, stone hammers and bronze chisels, construction must have been an enormous task.  Heavy or not, every pillow-shaped stone is perfectly fitted.

The ruins cover a huge area, but they constitute perhaps one-quarter of the original complex, which could easily house more than 10,000 men. Today, what survive are the astounding outer walls, constructed in a zigzag formation of three tiers. In the puma-shaped layout of the Inca capital, Sacsayhuamán was said to form the animal's head, and the zigzag of the defense walls forms the teeth.  After the conquest, the Spaniards made off with the more manageably sized stone blocks from to build houses and other structures in the city below.  This woman was just passing through ...

Many of the base stones are almost unimaginably massive; some are 11 feet tall, with another 10 feet underground); one is said to weigh 300 tons. The stones used in the construction of these terraces are among the largest used in any building in pre-Hispanic America and display a precision of fitting that is unmatched in the Americas.  The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the structure survive devastating earthquakes. 

Above the walls are circular foundations of three towers that were used for storage of provisions and water. Early accounts of Cuzco indicate that Sacsayhuamán included a Sun Temple, which was the focus of ritual activities. The large plaza area, capable of holding thousands of people, is well designed for ceremonial activities and several of the large structures at the site may have been used during rituals. 

The primary function of Sacsayhuamán continues to be debated, but today it is an awesome place to visit and wonder how the Incas managed to build such structures.  It’s also a nice spot to see llamas and alpacas grazing – their job is to keep the grass nicely cut.

Heading down the road, you never know what you might see ...

Kenko was a religious site of the Inca, probably dedicated to funerals and other rituals related to death, including mummification and human sacrifices.  Scientists also think that this complex may have been used for astronomical observations and calendar-making. 

There are several caves with deteriorated carvings.  One big rock, which is over 30 feet long, bears deep carvings of animal shapes, such as the puma, the serpent and the condor, all of which were sacred to the Inca. 

Inside one of the caves is a large flat stone which may have been a table for performing operations on wounded warriors.  There is evidence that Inca healers knew how to perform brain surgery to relieve pressure from head wounds.

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Near the Kenko site, we visited a curandero or shaman – to participate in a ritual healing ceremony performed by a local medicine man named Pedro.  The curanderos were persecuted by the Spanish Catholic priests, but the church eventually gave up and settled on a policy of “pray and obey.  Today the persecution continues as the U.S. and the U.N. are trying to eradicate the growing of coca leaves, which have been integral to Andean culture and the curandero’s practice for centuries.

 

Pedro then asked a blessing on each of us, waving around the bundle of mystical magical substances and chanting all the while.  Afterwards, he built a small fire and burned the whole package, sending our wishes to the heavens.  It’s hard for us to judge this ancient practice that has endured here for centuries, but it’s impossible to be unmoved by the spiritual nature of the ritual.

Pedro gathered together an assortment of ancient and modern substances, Catholic and pagan symbols, combined with coca leaves and the energy of the sacred mountains and the mother earth.  Some of these included slips of papers bearing our names, incenses, sugar, rice, gold and silver, a tiny flute, garbanzo beans, lima beans, corn, sea shells, miniature stars and moon, cotton, a rainbow, a string represented Inca trails, llama fat, llama fetal tissue, and wine.  He bundled everything together with coca leaves contributed by each of us – we had three leaves on which we blew air to add our own essence to the ritual. 

As we headed to our next stop, no sleeping on the bus - you'd miss beautiful scenery and great people-watching.

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Moray is an archaeological site northwest of Cuzco on the high plateau at about 11,500 feet elevation.  The site contains unusual Inca ruins, primarily several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is about 98 feet deep. Their depth and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of nearly 30 degrees between the top and bottom.

 

There are three sets of rings, each with different exposure to wind and sun, multiplying the number of environments and temperature ranges that the Inca could use to test crops and growing conditions. Archeologists believe that this was an Inca agricultural research station.

As with many other Inca sites, Moray has a sophisticated irrigation system and flying staircases connecting the terraces.  We’ve seen lots of the Inca terraces in our travels, but this one is a very sophisticated testament to the masterful and curious Inca farmers.

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Chinchero is spectacularly situated little town at 12,500 ft, with magnificent views of the Andes Mountains in the distance.  It once was a great Inca city, but today we’re here to visit our guide’s hometown and to witness an ancient tradition in action at a weaving cooperative. 

The village is mostly mud brick (adobe) houses, and many of the locals still go about their business in traditional dress. 

The steep hillside allowed us good views of rooftops with their decorative ceramic bulls that are believed to bring good luck to the household.

Chinchero was a resting place on the Royal Inca Road, and there are Inca ruins around.  Most visible is a formidable wall composed of huge stones and trapezoidal niches; this once was part of the palace of an Inca ruler.

The largest building on the town square is the Catholic Church, made of adobe and built on Inca foundations.  The early-17th-century church has some interesting, though faded, frescoes outside under the porticoes and mural paintings that cover the entire ceiling. No photography allowed inside, but we were well entertained with Raul’s tales of his short-lived career as an altar boy.

Chinchero also is home to Winayaway, a weaving cooperative that preserves the art of Peruvian textiles, their symbolism and significance. For the sixteen weavers currently working there, the cooperative provides assistance in creating and market for their textiles and a new economy for their communities. 

Textiles developed in Peru over the millennia represent a treasury of techniques rare in the world and mostly unknown outside of Peru. They are passed on, not by writing, but by the process of person-to-person communication, by watching and practicing.

We enjoyed a demonstration on making traditional textiles – from shearing the alpaca to dyeing the wool to spinning the thread to weaving complex patterns in colorful cloth – as their ancestors have done for centuries.

We also had lunch at the cooperative – a traditional highland meal of fava beans, corn and potatoes.  We were fortunate that one of the weavers sitting at our table spoke quite good English.  It was nice to learn about the cooperative, but it was really nice to have someone explain what we were eating and how to eat it - and to teach Margaret how to wear a blanket for carrying kids, groceries, whatever.

Just a short drive from the center of Chinchero, the community of Raqchi subsists on farming and the creation of traditional pottery.  We stopped here to visit the Raqchi Primary School, which is supported in part by donations from the Grand Circle Foundation.  The children were ready and waiting for us – they welcomed us with a presentation on Peru’s culture, including traditional songs and dances. 

And then they asked the impossible – they wanted us all to get up and join them in the schoolyard in a lively folk dance – quite a feat for a bunch of senior citizens gasping for air at 11,000 feet.

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We survived and stumbled inside their classroom where we paired up with students who showed us their workbooks in science, math and English.  We also did an English-Spanish learning exercise in which we taught each other the words for a page full of animals and insects.

Once again, visiting with school kids will long be remembered as one of the highlights of this trip. 

On the way back to Cusco, we passed a farmhouse where a young boy was leading two donkeys around in circles - we stopped to have a closer look.  He was harvesting dried lupine beans; the burros would break up the shells leaving the hard beans to be collected later.

Raul wasn’t satisfied with chatting with a young boy – he set off to find his parents – and came back with the boy’s mother, Annuncia.  Somehow, he got her to agree to show us around her home, so in we went to get a closer look at the life of subsistence farmers.

Annuncia showed us her stored crops of quinoa, beans, oats, corn, potatoes and other crops.  Dinner was simmering in the kitchen, under the watchful eye of the family of guinea pigs huddled near the stove.