Continuing our insufficient journey to Peru, limited time and eagerness led us to opt for a direct flight from Lima to Cusco. After all, Cusco was the capital of the Tawantinsuyu – the mighty Inca empire, considered as the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Moreover, around Cusco lie dozens of other remnants of Inca culture and power, with the highlight being the magical, mystical, and enchanting "lost city" of Machu Picchu.
Cusco alone would be worth the trip. Beyond the city itself, situated at 3,400 meters above sea level, with its Inca and colonial architecture, another gift is its population, predominantly of Quechua origin. In significant numbers not only in the outskirts of Lima but also in other Andean regions, the direct descendants of the Inca empire are particularly concentrated in the ancient capital, totalizing over three million people. Witnessing them occupy every corner of the city, speaking their millennia-old language, and wearing traditional clothing in a brave act of resistance despite all adversities is a unique experience.
PLAZA DE ARMAS
In my opinion, a good tour of Cusco would start inevitably at the beautiful Plaza de Armas (or Huacaypata). EIt is the main square of the city and the heart of its historic center. Quite bustling and adorned with flowers, it is surrounded by shops, cafes, and restaurants.
According to tradition, Plaza de Armas was the center of the Inca Empire, a time when it was twice its current size and served as the stage for festivals and ceremonies. In the middle of it stands a statue of Pachacútec (below), the ninth Sapa Inca (emperor) and the first of Tahuantinsuyu (the period when the Incas dominated other peoples in a wide region, forming a large and powerful empire).
Before we begin, an important curiosity. The term "Incas" is what the Spanish, later the colonial/colonized population, and finally the world came to call the Quechua people. In Quechua, "inca" was the title by which the population addressed their rulers. In other words, there wasn't actually an Inca people or empire, but rather a Quechua people – with millions of descendants still spread across Andean countries today, despite the massacre promoted by conquest and colonization – whose ruler was the Inca.
CATEDRAL DEL CUSCO
Facing Plaza de Armas are two churches that attest to Spanish dominance and make us imagine how violently Iberian values, with Catholic faith at the forefront, were imposed on the population from the mid-16th century. The first is the Catedral del Cusco (or Catedral Basílica de la Virgen de la Asunción). It was erected on the ruins of the Suntur Wasi (House of God) and the Palacio de Viracocha – the eighth Sapa Inca, father of Pachacútec – one of the many Inca works destroyed by the conquerors. Its exterior in red stones is magnificent. It is worth contemplating both during the day and at night, all illuminated. Inside, it houses works that explain much about the Andean people's adaptation to Spanish culture, such as the presence of the cuy (guinea pig) – a typically regional delicacy – in a painting depicting the Last Supper, or the Virgin Mary as Pachamama (Mother Earth for the Andean peoples).
Many stones from Sacsaywaman, an adjacent Inca fortress, were used in the cathedral's construction. Due to the delays in its construction, between 1538 and 1664, its facade is in Renaissance style, while its interior is typically Baroque. The project was modified and expanded several times, and currently, the temple has 11 chapels. Its main altar is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. What stands out in the other altars is the amount of gold and mirrors, as well as numerous paintings by Spanish masters and their Inca disciples. This is the main reason we can identify many deviations from Catholic tradition through the presence of numerous elements of Inca religion and values.
Unfortunately, for the tourist addicted to capturing everything in images, filming or taking photos inside the church is not allowed. Officials throughout the interior of the temple enforce strict vigilance and, whenever necessary, can be aggressive.
IGLESIA COMPAÑÍA DE JESÚS
Also in Plaza de Armas is the Iglesia Compañía de Jesús, the colonial temple built in 1571 on what was once the Inca Palace Huayna Cápac (also known as Amarukancha, the "House of the Great Serpent"). An important monument of Peruvian colonial architecture, it features central and underground chapels, secret passages, mazes, and an altar covered in silver that catches the visitors' attention. In 1650, due to the effects of an earthquake, the church had to be demolished but was rebuilt the following year.
BASÍLICA MENOR DE LA MERCED
Leaving Plaza de Armas, another indispensable monumental church is the Iglesia de La Merced, also called the Basílica Menor de La Merced, located about 100 meters west of Plaza de Armas, in front of Plazoleta Espinar. The church forms a complex with a convent and the Colegio La Merced. In addition to its architectural riches, with Renaissance and Baroque characteristics, and colonial artworks, its interior holds the remains of the Spanish conquistador Diego de Almagro, The Elder, his mestizo son Diego de Almagro, The Younger, who was the governor of Peru in 1541-1542, and Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of the infamous Francisco Pizarro, the main figure responsible for the conquest of Peru.
IGLESIA Y CONVENTO DE SAN FRANCISCO
The next step in my wanderings through Cusco was the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, at the top of the ancient Huacaypata, which in Inca times extended to the current Plaza San Francisco, Plaza San Francisco, in front of the church. The church has a museum with architecture and a collection that includes paintings and sculptures from the conquest era, as well as crypts from the colonial period. More information here.
Next to the church is the Glorioso Colegio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes de Cusco, founded by Simón Bolívar in 1825 on the foundations of the old College of San Bernardo, built for the conquerors' children, and the College San Francisco de Borja, to teach the first letters to the chiefs' children.
ARCO DE SANTA CLARA
Adjacent is the Arco de Santa Clara, a triumphal arch built in 1835 at one of the vertices of Plaza San Francisco by order of General Andrés de Santa Cruz in celebration of the creation of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation – a relevant historical episode for both countries. The monument is named after the Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara, which is 100m ahead.
Calle Santa Clara, with the bell tower of the Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara on the left, and the side of the Glorious National College of Sciences and Arts of Cusco on the right. In the background, the tower of the Iglesia San Pedro
Moving forward, after passing the Convent of Santa Clara on the left, is Plazoleta San Pedro, between Calles Thupaq Amaru and Cascaparo. It serves as the gateway to the San Pedro Central Market. It is also where the Iglesia San Pedro is located.
The Iglesia de San Pedro was built on what was once the Hospital de Naturales del Cusco, founded in 1556. According to the custom of the time, every hospital was supposed to have a chapel, and in 1572, this old hospital also got one.
In 1650, an earthquake destroyed all the structures of the hospital, except for a single room. The building was partially rebuilt in 1657. In 1688, a reform began, resulting in a new temple with the structure it has today.
However, in 1950, a new earthquake caused various damages to the Iglesia de San Pedro, including cracks in the arches and domes of the towers, which is why the north tower now leans towards Calle Hospital.
MERCADO CENTRAL DE SAN PEDRO
At first glance, the San Pedro Central Market Market seems like just another market catering to tourists, with nothing for the local population – as there are indeed some in Cusco itself. This initial impression may seem to be confirmed as soon as you enter. However, the San Pedro Market is much more than that. First of all, it is frequented – and quite a lot! – by the local population of Cusco. As you get used to the interior of this large popular market, you observe that practically everything consumed by the people of Cusco can be found there, and tourists are the exception.
Another characteristic of the San Pedro Market is that there is no harassment from sellers when they realize you are a tourist. As a result, you can calmly appreciate the myriad products that are part of the city's daily life, such as fruits, tubers, and vegetables whose names you will never remember, but that will certainly stay in your memory for a long time, clothing, household items, juices, homemade foods...
By the way, the gastronomic experience is another bonus of this tour. The market's restaurants are divided into thematic corridors. There is a corridor for freshly made juices, the chicken soup corridor, the suckling pig corridor, and so on. Undoubtedly, it is an unmissable outing.
Since 1972, this entire area has been part of the Monumental Zone of Cusco, declared a Historical Monument of Peru, also forming part of the city's historic center since 1983, declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and, since 2014, part of the road network of Tawuantinsuyu by UNESCO.
KUSIKANCHA E QORIKANCHA
Two other must-see points in the center of Cusco that seem to have been part of the same complex in the Inca era are Qorikancha and Kusikancha, invaluable witnesses to Inca exuberance and, at the same time, Spanish massacre.
Kusikancha, translated as "happy enclosure," was a residential area in the original Inca city, with a grid layout (kancha), with houses facing central courtyards. In Cusco, these areas were largely destroyed by the Spanish or used as the foundation for colonial buildings.
When the Spanish took control of Cusco, they expelled the surviving Inca elite from their elegant palaces, temples, and municipal buildings, transforming them into colonial mansions or churches. However, there were far fewer grand Inca buildings than Spanish conquerors demanding mansions. This led the Spaniards to demolish areas of the city that housed common Inca subjects, the constructions organized in kanchas, in a grid pattern, to make way for larger European-style buildings.
The housing pattern of the kanchas was communal, in small houses with individual rooms. This did not suit the Spanish, which is why the kanchas were destroyed, adapted, or used as foundations for the conquerors' buildings.
The site called Kusikancha had some of these colonial buildings constructed over the kanchas. In 1934, these Spanish constructions began to be used by the army, and the complex became known as Cuartel 27 de Noviembre, on Calle Maruri. Pieces of colonial construction collapsed, leaving areas of rubble and dirt covering the remains of Inca walls.
Only recently, less than a decade ago, the deteriorated colonial mansion was abandoned and handed over to the National Institute of Culture (INC). They restored part of the colonial mansion and revealed and cleaned up a surprisingly large area of kanchas, confirming that this area covered the rear of the prestigious buildings facing the square to the famous Qorikancha, the golden kancha - the temple of Inti, the Sun, and the most important building in the Inca world.
According to tradition, Kusikancha was also where Túpac Yupanqui (1441-1493), one of the last Inca rulers, was born and lived with his family. Túpac Yupanqui was the tenth Sapa Inca and the second Inca of Tawantinsuyu. Some identify traces of Túpac Yupanqui's palace among the ruins. There are also speculations that Kisikancha may have been a place where the mummies of elite Inca figures were stored.
QORIKANCHA-IGLESIA DE SANTO DOMINGO
Among all these historical destinations in Cusco, the Qorikancha temple (Temple of the Sun)/Iglesia de Santo Domingo is almost a unanimous choice. Its name in Quechua comes from the combination of the words qori, meaning worked in gold, and kancha, which we could translate as enclosure (also meaning time). We could therefore translate Qoricancha as "temple of gold" or "enclosure of gold."
Researchers believe that this temple, also known as the Temple of the Sun or Golden Temple, may have been the most important for Inca culture since the main deity of the Inca civilization was Inti, the Sun, represented by gold. Everything indicates that this was one of the most significant political and religious centers in Cusco, where people came to worship Inti.
Conceived and built by the Inca ruler Manco Cápac, Qoricancha was modernized and rebuilt years later, in 1438, by the leader Pachacútec. It was constructed with andesite and calcite, stones typical of the Andes region, perfectly crafted with giant blocks that fit together and are earthquake-resistant. During the Spanish invasion, the temple was destroyed and looted, and currently, there is a museum on-site that preserves pieces found during excavations.
The temple impresses with its architectural perfection, with stone blocks molded one by one to fit without the need for any reinforcement. Its solidity can be confirmed by the fact that the site has withstood at least three earthquakes.
According to historians, Qoricancha was a complex that housed some temples, such as the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon, the Temple of the Stars, the Temple of the Rainbow, and a sacrificial chamber. As a place of worship for Inti, it had gold and silver in abundance, which were received as offerings.
In 1532, the Spanish, led by Francisco Pizarro, invaded Cusco and took Qoricancha, stealing most of the valuable items there. Francisco Pizarro ended up donating the place to his brother, who, in turn, donated it to the Dominican Order in 1536. After that, Qorikancha was partially destroyed to build the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo. Years later, an earthquake shook the structures, revealing the grandeur of Inca construction beneath the Spanish additions.
As a bonus, Qorikancha has a beautiful garden – the Sacred Garden – probably an attempt to recreate the ritual and decorative atmosphere of the Inca era. According to research, the site became a large repository of offerings brought by all nations subjected to and confederated with the Incas who brought offerings to the god Inti. These offerings consisted of representations of the Tawuantinsuyana flora and fauna, which, according to some historians, were made of gold and silver, in life size. The offerings were so numerous that they filled the terraces, in such a surprising proportion that the Spaniards called it The Solar Garden. In the colonial era, it became an orchard of the Dominican friars. Located on the western side of Qorikancha, it can be seen from Avenida del Sol in its entirety.
Unfortunately, access to most of the garden is only possible after visiting a small museum in its basement. You need to buy a ticket to this museum, go through its gallery to access an exit to ground level, at the opposite end of the entrance stairs. Still, it's worth exploring the part open to the public, which is closer to Qorikancha, and admiring this beautiful space from the outside.
Our short stay in Cusco forced me to leave out several other attractions in this enchanting city. We did not visit important museums like the Museo de Arte Precolombino, the Museo Inka, the Museo de Arte Popular, we only took a brief look at the Museo y Catacumbas Del Convento San Francisco de Asis... We couldn't make the most famous day trips either, such as the Rainbow Mountain, Humantay Lake, the Saqsaywaman Park, all so close... Ollantaytambo, só we only saw in passing, on the way to Aguas Calientes. Ou seja, temos razões de sobra para voltar.
In other words, we have plenty of reasons to return.
Even so, we had time to explore the incredible archaeological sites of Pisac and Moray, an artisan cooperative in Chinchero, and the amazing salt ponds of Maras. And, of course, we reserved a day for the charming Machu Picchu. But that's a conversation for the next post.
SPECIAL CARE
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Cusco is at an altitude of 3,400m. In the first few days, this usually causes discomfort known as soroche, or "altitude sickness," in most people not accustomed to such high places. Therefore, it is recommended that you stay in the city for at least four days to make the most of your visit. Preferably, with plenty of rest on the first day to let your body acclimate to the altitude.
To alleviate altitude sickness, prefer light meals, sleep when and as much as your body requires, and make use of coca tea (mate de coca, as they say there). It is also very common among locals to chew coca leaves. Coca prevents nausea and dizziness and is the best remedy for various ailments and fatigue. In addition, it aids in digestion, reducing nausea and headaches. But perhaps this does not have the same effect on outsiders.
There are laboratory medicines both to alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness and to address its causes. But I think it is advisable that before going to Cusco, you consult your doctor. For more information on this, see here.
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