Peru, Day 6 - Cusco

Today is our official guided tour of Cusco. It doesn't begin until the afternoon though, so we spend our morning wandering around the streets and finding celebrations of a holiday celebrating Señor de Huanca. There are fireworks throughout the day as well as small bands and parades.



We follow one of the parades into a museum, where they ended their celebration with photos of their own.

I spend some time wandering away from the main square, exploring different parts of the town.

Up on the hill is a Jesus statue.

On another hill, words are carved into the mountain side, "VIVA EL PERU"

In the middle of the city is some sort of walled off grassy area with animals. I can only take pictures from outside, though tours inside are also available.

In and around the streets. Many of the Inca  stonework is still intact and in use.

More streets and alleys:

Fountain courtesy of Stephen Waugh

Before our tour, we eat at a breakfast-all-day joint called "Jack's" It's pretty good. I have a hummus sandwich with a huge salad and a glass of banana juice (though I'm not quite sure how one juices a banana).

Our first stop on our tour is the Sun Temple. Incas used fitted male and female pieces to hold blocks together. According to the guide, arsenic was used to cut the stones and fit them together smoothly.

Spanish courtyard built on top of the site of the Sun Temple:

On a hill above Cusco is Saqsaywaman, basically fortress ruins. The stonework is the same as what we have seen before, except the stones are much more massive.

Gate entryway:

Wiki entry:

Because of its location high above Cuzco and its immense terrace walls, this area of Sacsayhuaman is frequently referred to as a fortress. The importance of its military functions was highlighted in 1536 when Manco Inca lay siege to Cuzco. Much of the fighting occurred in and around Sacsayhuaman as it was critical for maintaining control over the city. It is clear from descriptions of the siege, as well as from excavations at the site, that there were towers on its summit as well as a series of other buildings. 

Just as the Spanish had built over the Inca sites, the Incas built this site on top of a Pre-Inca site.

There are still more stones beneath the ground here to be excavated. When the Spanish was forcing the Incas to destroy their temples, the Incas buried them instead.

I might have mentioned these stones were larger than the ones we saw before.

Next we visit Tambomachay. This was a fountain for travelers to stop and cleanse themselves on their journey to Cusco.

The fountain:

There are some kids visiting from Lima. They say they have never seen Americans and want a picture with me.

Next is Q'enqo or Patallaqta (I think I have mentioned that everything in Peru goes by multiple names and spellings). This was the home of an emperor.

INC sign:

Supposedly the funeral stone:

According to our guide, burial preparation chamber:

We drive up to nearby the Jesus statue for an overlook of the city. Locals are flying kites here:

Cusco:

That evening there is a market open near our hotel:

Woodworkers courtesy of Stephen Waugh

Weaver courtesy of Christopher Chergi

For dinner we have cuy (COO ee). This is a local food. Guinea pigs are easy to raise and multiply like rabbits.

Our waiter brings this out for our photo pleasure:

But then he takes it back to it can be cut into more manageable pieces:

It wasn't bad, but there is very little meat for a lot of bones. It was a bit of work to eat. Cliche as it is, it is pretty comparable to chicken.

That's it for Cusco. Tomorrow we continue on our journey to Ollantaytambo and closer to Machu Picchu.