Icons of Peru 3 – Cusco
Cusco, a city of 400,000, is 3,500m up in the
Andes and although it is at 13 degrees of
latitude south of the equator, and therefore
tropical, because of the altitude it is cooler.
They still have a wet season and a dry season.
We started taking altitude sickness tablets a
couple of days before we got there because of
the fact we were travelling from 150m above
sea level to 3,500m in 45 mins and this was
almost certain to bring about headaches,
lethargy, nausea and possibly a need for
oxygen. We both felt lethargic and slightly
headachy but nothing we couldn’t handle. We
arrived mid afternoon and had the rest of the
day at leisure so we could adjust.
Yes, those are eucalyptus trees you can see in the foreground. Our guide told us that eucalypts were brought to Peru in
1900 by the British company that had been contracted by the Peruvian government to build a railway, from Cusco to the
rainforest at Machu Picchu. This would help market tropical fruits and other products such as minerals which could be
brought more easily to markets. The track started in 1904 and the first train ran in 1938. The eucalypts provided the
hardy wooden sleepers for the railway, but now the timber is used in the building industry.
Our first visit in the morning was to Awana Kancha, roughly translated in Quechua to mean ‘knitting place’. Here we
were introduced to the differences between llamas, alpacas and vicunas. We also saw traditional and modern weaving
techniques and a demonstration of vegetable dyeing.
Alpacas – ears back and quite shaggy.
A Llama – taller, ears forward and smooth pelt.
Then we visited Tambomachay, an Inca hunting lodge or stopping point for high class travellers. It is still channelling
clear spring water and is known as an Inca bath. According to our guide, Henry, the term Inca really means the King, and
we should be talking about the Quechuan Empire. There were 12 Inca rulers between about 1100 AD when they came
to power and 1550s when they were overthrown by Pizarro and the Spaniards.
Then we returned to just outside Cusco city to visit the ruin of Sacsaywaman (vaguely pronounced ‘sexy woman’) which
for a long time was considered to be a fortress because of its commanding defensive position above the town. Recent
research has revealed that it was more likely a temple dedicated to the God of Lightning. The outside walls are zigzag
shaped like lightning. Although the whole site seems huge, what we see today is only about 20% of the original
structure. Soon after conquest in 1553, the Spaniards tore down many of the walls and took the stones downhill to
build their own houses and churches in the town below. The natural stone in this area is limestone and the Incas had
dragged this basalt by hand from a quarry 40km away because it was easier to cut. Henry explained that no two stones
are alike and that when they got the base layer laid, they would lever more stones on top. Then to make them fit so
incredibly closely, they would put a layer of mud in between and look at the marks left in it so that they could chisel out
just the right parts – much as the dentist does to us today when he puts some paper in your mouth and asks you to grind
your teeth so he can fine tune the filling! Some of the stones are huge as you will see using Bill as the scale!
Next we visited the cathedral on the main square. We arrived just as a marching band had been entertaining the crowd
in a regular Sunday event. We were unable to take photos inside the cathedral but there were some interesting things
to see. One was a large Last Supper painted by a local
Cusco artist in the 1700s. He had been to Italy and
seen Leonardo da Vinci’s original and decided to do his
own. There was a plump roast guinea pig, the size of a
lamb, on the tray and he gave Judas the face of
Francisco Pizarro, the hated conqueror of Cusco. There
are a number of chapels and altars and quite a number
of figures of Jesus and other male saints. They do not
wear loin cloths here in Peru, but genuine fabric ankle
length skirts for modesty. These skirts are sponsored
by people – it could be devout parishioners or wealthy
companies. The skirts are changed twice a week, so if
you are a sponsor you might choose to have your skirt
used on your birthday, your wedding anniversary or
some other important day in your life. The statue is
Military band. Cathedral in background
dressed in your skirt the day before your day and stays
th
on until the day after. On the 7 day each week, Sunday, the skirt of the main statue of Jesus in the cathedral is
sponsored by the local Cusco soccer team – seeking miracles! They play their matches on Sundays. When they play at
home they don’t usually need miracles because all the other sides in the competition come from sea level and nearly
always lose!
Our final visit for the day was to the ruins of Koricancha or Temple of the Sun. This was only a couple of blocks from our
hotel. This was once considered one of the most spectacular temples in the whole Incan Empire. Some 4000 priests and
their attendants once lived within its confines as well as being the main astronomical observatory for the Incas.
Dedicated to worshipping the sun, the most important deity in the Inca pantheon, the temple complex was a glittering
palace straight out of the El Dorado legend with gold topped walls. The Spanish built a large monastery right in the
middle of it and it is hard to see the Inca parts.
Inca walls on right. Spanish cloisters on left
Inca base walls, Spanish church above.
Being a Sunday there were lots of locals out and about.
Cusco is South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city. It was once the Inca Empire’s foremost stronghold and is
now both the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as one of the continent’s most staunchly
preserved living museums. Massive Inca built walls line steep, narrow cobblestone streets – our Novotel is in one such
street and when our driver dropped us off there was nowhere for him to pull over, so we just blocked the traffic for a
few minutes while getting the cases out. Tourism is now the life blood of this city as it is the starting out point for trips
up the Sacred Valley and to Machu Picchu. Our guide says his company’s business has increased by nearly 20% in the
last 12 months. Not only are South America and Peru places where people want to go, but speculation has it that
Europeans and North Americans wanting to see ancient monuments are coming here, because their governments are
warning against visiting Egypt at present. We’re off up the valley to Machu Picchu tomorrow.