Beautiful Cuzco, Peru

 

Cuzco is a city of juxtaposition between the glory of the Incan empire and the New World.  From the air, it is a city of red clay roof tiles and red/brown brick buildings.  Once the seat of the Incan Empire, it is now known for archeological remains, Spanish colonial architecture, and of course the little old ladies with overly large hats and colourful clothing.  It is a city of under 500,000 and home of the Incan Sun Temple that the Christian Bishops hoped to destroy but the walls of the Sun Temple still stand today in all of their glory.

Inca walls are massive.

A traditionally dressed Peruvian woman walking the Incan road.

We were only in Cuzco for 3 nights and 4 days but managed to capture the city's essence in all of its beauty.  It is very easy to fall in love with Cuzco for its history, cuisine, architecture and its people.  In thirty years of being an educator, I had never met one Peruvian student who had immigrated to Canada and now I know why.  It is for the simple fact that they do not want to leave their beautiful country.

We flew into Cuzco from Lima and landed in the afternoon to explore the beautiful city.  We were staying at the Waman Quorianko housed in an ancient building and part of the old Incan wall.  The hotel was quite delightful and right next door to the Church and the Incan Sun Temple and a quick walk along the Incan path flanked by beautiful Incan walls to the Colonial Historic Center.

Boxed Balconies are traditionally Spanish architecture, the concept was carried over to the New World.

Stunning doorway.

We packed it in, to get a good night's sleep after a delicious dinner at Chulls.  Guinea Pig and Alpaca were on the menu but I did not partake, I opted for a salad.  Daxtin our son was arriving from Canada after his four flights to get to Cuzco.  He arrived but his luggage did not. Our day was consumed with buying him clothes for the rest of his trip and getting enough Coca Leaf Tea into our bodies to deal with the Altitude sickness.

Dax ordered the Guinea Pig dish

Drinking the Coca-Leaf Tea.

A delicious salad that I ordered.

We did make it to the Sun Temple its Incan name is Qorikancha which was right next door to our hotel and was a great place to explore.  Qorikancha was the seat of the Incan Empire and much more important than Machu Picchu.  Many of the Incan walls are still standing.  When the Spaniards came they tried to destroy the temple and its walls and build their church over top of them.  But the Catholic church could not destroy the temple and its walls and they are still standing today and of unique and precise building techniques.

The outside of the Convent

Inca walls are throughout the area.

Inside the church.

Original Incan hallway into the Sun Temple

Original Incan Mural that was uncovered.

I could not stop staring at this Incan wall it was a thing of beauty.

The Catholic Cloister built on the Incan Sun Temple

View outside

Beautiful garden on the grounds of the ruins of the Incan empire

Biggest roses that I have ever seen.

View from the Church over-looking Cuzco.

Ceiling of the Church

While shopping for Dax's clothes we quickly noticed that there was a festival going on and we watched as much as we could of the parade but then things turned.  Small water balloons and foam sprayers were being sold everywhere so we needed to get back to the hotel but did not quite make it on time.  This is part of their custom for festivals for the young people to spray foam or hit with water balloons anyone that they think is good looking.  

Dax got nailed a couple of times.

Shopping for Dax's clothes.

The Festival is getting started.

Very colorful costumes which for many is their everyday wear.

The next day we walked up to Sacsayhuaman an Incan Citadel and historical capital of the Incas.  It is at 12,142 feet in altitude and we decided to walk up to it.  It was an excellent workout but at that altitude, the lungs burn more intensely and you tire more easily.  We saw some great scenery along the way but we had to take many breaks.

Cuzco in the background

You can see the green bump is terraces that have survived from Incan times and are still used today for agriculture.

The red-roofs of Cuzco

You can begin to see the steepness of the road that we climbed.

Taking a much-needed break.

Storefronts along the way.

Cobble-stoned streets are everywhere from either Incan or Colonial times.

We were ever so thankful to get to the top of that mountain and enter Sacsayhuaman which was 20 dollars to enter.  We felt it was a bit steep considering it is just ruins of the Citadel.  It was still lovely to visit and Alpacas were grazing on the grass which enhanced the experience. 

Megalithic rocks are everywhere on the site.

Overlooking Cuzco from Sacsayhuaman

Beautiful countryside looking the other way from Sacsayhuaman.

Clever placement of Jesus looking over the Incan Citadel.

The walls would still be complete if it wasn't for tree roots breaking through the walls.  Incan engineering is a marvel.  They did not use mortar.

Cuzco is really beautiful.

We took a taxi down to Cuzco Center and shopped a bit more for things to take home with us and Dax still needed swim trunks for the Galapagos Islands.

This city is a must-see on the way to Machu Picchu.  

Cuzco is built up into every mountain in the valley

A vast colorful array of Chocolate bars is available in a confectionery.

The church that houses the Sun Temple.

Tiny kiosks sell a multitude of treats.

The first Mercado that we shopped at.

Incan wall is still standing in front of a different church.

Colonial architecture is sublime.

More Coca-Leaf Tea.

Tiny women walk with their babies strapped to their backs and often with young Alpacas.
I used to think that the Romans were the best builders but a whole new appreciation of South American history arose for me after spending time in Cuzco.