Friday we took our first real look at Cuzco, having arrived after dark both last Sunday (and leaving before dawn) and arriving again late Thursday. We found out yesterday that are located near the Plaza de Armas here, which turns out to be an excellent location. Cuzco was the capital of the Incan Empire (which last only about a century).
We started the tour by visiting Sacsayhuamán, a large temple built by the Incas in the 15th century by Inca Emperor Pachacuti and his successors. It took about 20,000 men to build the temple and the stones were huge and heavy. Once the Incas were conquered the site was ravaged by the Spaniards, who took the gold and used the stones to build Spanish Cuzco. There remain the foundations which are impressive and a large open plaza which was probably used for ceremonial purposes during the Inca reign. The site was also used for athletic contests to pick the fastest, strongest teenagers to pay the tax of the Incan empire which was a mandatory labor tax.
After leaving Sacsayhuamán, we went to the Puka Pukara Archaeological Complex. It was a military site (the red fortress), and of great importance for the Inca messengers and the royal guard. It also overlooks a farming valley and the Andes, and the view is very pretty. It may have been a rest site for Inca guards and runners.
Inca messengers were chosen for their running ability and were called Chaski. They ran 150-200 miles a day, fueled by coca leaves, jerky from camelids (llama for example) and corn and corn liquor. They conveyed messages via knotted strings. The Inka empire was huge at one time, covering parts of modern day Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.
Next we went to Q’enko Archeological Complex. It is a Huaca, or holy place. There’s a tunnel underground where mummification probably took place. There was a ceremonial table and also niches where bones were found. They may also have done some brain surgery there. The Incas did many trepanations (now called craniotomies) and during the Inca empire the survival rate was pretty high, 75% or so. There is also the remain of a large sundial which was damaged by the Spaniards who thought it was an idol the Incans were worshipping. We also had a great view of Cuzco from up here including a view of the 42,000 seat soccer (football) stadium.
We went back to Cuzco to see the Qorikancha, a temple complex which contains a sun temple, a moon temple, a temple to rainbows, a temple to lightning, gardens, and, since 1538, the church and monastery of Santo Domingo. The walls are made of sloping, interlocking stones with rollers underneath (to help with earthquakes). As with most Incan buildings, the stones are perfectly level (I tested a few with my iPhone level). The walls were probably covered with gold, which the Spanish removed when they conquered the Incas.
After leaving the temple complex we walked to the Cuzco Cathedral, (no photo allowed), a grand building with a last supper painting which has Peruvian touches, such as a guinea pig in the middle of the feast.
That was the end of our formal tours. We had lunch after and walked first to an alpaca store which was a nice one and then to the San Pedro market which was closing down but we bought some great blueberries and a few carrots. The Peruvians seem very keen on fruit…there are carts selling pineapple, watermelon, fruit juices and sugar cane juice but even in the market, other than potatoes, there weren’t many vegetables.
We ran into many processions while walking towards the alpaca store and the market and the streets were packed! It was the end of the Corpus Christi celebrations. The festival revolves around a grand procession that brings together 15 sacred images of saints and virgins from different parishes in the city of Cusco. Each image (think of a parade float) represents its neighborhood and is carried on the shoulders of people dressed in traditional costumes, and there were bands playing loudly. Friday the idols were being returned to their parishes.
One more day in Cuzco, then back to Lima.
