Around Cusco

Today we had a tour around the oldest Inca city, a site of immense importance to the Inca people.

First I want to tell you about Halloween here. When we arrived in Cusco last night there was total traffic chaos! Everyone, except those who couldn't walk it seemed, was on the streets for Halloween.  There were some great home made costumes - really creative! From the tiniest babies to those old enough to have more sense, the streets were thronged, all going or coming from Plaza de Armas the centre of town. We eventually made our way there too.

The first site we visited was Saqsaywaman (known in English as Sexy Woman!) This site looks down on the city of Cusco and for that view alone, is worth the visit. It was a temple dedicated to lightning,  and the walls were laid out in a zig-zag design, like a flash of lightning. Lightning was seen as a force from the heavens, which when it encountered the earth brought fertility to the land.

This is the largest stone of any unearthed in Inca remains. If you zoom in, you might be able to see the zig-zag formation of the walls behind.

There's also a site used by shamans and those who wish to commune with nature in the lower part of the site.

The eucalyptus trees behind are a popular spot to visit when looking for good fortune, especially by couples before their wedding,  and by girls celebrating their 15th birthday. We saw two of those today, dressed to the nines and being professionally photographed.

And now for the cheesy shot:

We visited a cave site where mummification of the Kings (Inkas) was carried out. The most interesting aspect was the stone table that was as cold as ice. The Incas were buried in a foetal shape to prepare them for rebirth.

We visited the Convent of St. Dominic which is a huge monastery built over the ruins of the Inca temple that was destroyed by the Spaniards. Its still a Dominican monastery now, but the remains of some of the temple remain and we can get an insight into the amazing architectural skills of the Inca. A team of archaeologists excavated the foundations and found round stones under the walls - to help the building resist earthquakes! I took a few photos: 

Alignment of windows

The stones in the corners were sometimes cut to incorporate the angle.

Tenon and mortise

Elbow bends wide to narrow, to increase pressure.

To be honest the church and cloisters were unimpressive, in comparison to the engineering of the 13th century!

Lastly, we visited the Cathedral of Our Lady, which was built over several stages by the Spanish, using local craftsmen. Carving wood was a doddle for all those stonemasons and so the decorations were very elaborate and coated with gold leaf. There are tell-tale signs of Inca culture too though, such as a stone near the door where people place sweets, food, flowers etc as an offering before continuing with their Christian worship! No photography was allowed. I would have liked to show you the painting of the Last Supper, Andean style, with Cuy as the main dish,  surrounded by local vegetables. Judas is depicted as Pisarro, with his purse full of Peruvian gold!