Cusco is South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city and a delightful place to visit ø¢â‚¬” once you can handle the altitude. Located 3,350 metres above sea level in south-eastern Peru, it was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 12th century to the Spanish conquest of South America in 1532. Lying in a bowl-shaped valley, it has the dubious honour of having the highest levels of UV light of any city on Earth.

 

Cusco is South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city and a delightful place to visit ““ once you can handle the altitude. Located 3,350 metres above sea level in south-eastern Peru, it was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 12th century to the Spanish conquest of South America in 1532. Lying in a bowl-shaped valley, it has the dubious honour of having the highest levels of UV light of any city on Earth.
Modern Cusco, which has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, retains much of its Inca heritage, although it is partially hidden under a Baroque veneer. In an attempt to impose their religious beliefs on the native population, the Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Inca sites, using their stones to construct city buildings and mansions for the conquerors. The original foundations remain visible in many parts of the city, including in landmark sites like the Palace of the Incas, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun.

Cusco’s main square was crowded with brass bands practising for competitions associated with a national festival.

 

Across the square from the cathedral complex the main shopping area begins, with a beautiful arcade that was constructed during the Spanish conquest. Located in this arcade are restaurants and shops selling the alpaca-based fabrics and knitwear, pottery and silver jewellery the area is famous for producing. The arcade opens out onto the Avenida del Sol, an extension of the shopping area.

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A view of the main city square from the doorway of the Cathedral, showing the shopping arcade with the distant hills in the background.

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La Compania, a baroque church built on the ruins of an Inca temple, which overlooks the main city square.

 

Not far from the square is the Convento de Santo Domingo del Cusco, a 17th-century church and convent, which is located on the site of Qoricancha (The Temple of the Sun), the major Inca temple of Cusco. Originally the walls of the buildings on this site were lined with nearly 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing almost two kilograms.

The first port of call on our city tour was Tambomachay, an archaeological complex roughly eight kiometres from the city. Situated on a steep hillside, it is the site of two springs that are reputed to provide clean water all year. The site was originally set up by the Incas for communication and defence and is clearly visible from our next stopping point, Q’enqo.

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Tambomachay is noted for its reliable clean water springs. This picture shows the two classical types of Inca stonework, the lower sturcture having the older pillow-like construction, with the upper layer having the closely-fitted rocks.

 

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A close-up view of the rock structures surrounding on of the Tambomachay springs.

 

Q’enqo was a focal point for Inca rituals and consists of an amphitheatre plus a series of underground galleries that were used both for worship and for preserving the bodies of Inca leaders after death. The site was seriously damaged by the Spaniards, who reduced the statue of the puma in the amphitheatre to an indistinguishable rock but failed to destroy the essential aura of the site.

 

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Looking across the hillside towards the Q’enqo complex.

 

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A man dressed as an Inca chief poses beside the Q’enqo complex, with the city of Cusco visible in the valley below.

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A view of the Q’enqo amphitheatre, taken with a wide-angle (16mm equivalent) lens, shows the ruined statue of a puma slightly to the left of the centre of the shot. A path leading down behind this stone takes the visitor to the underground galleries.

 

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One of the underground galleries used by Inca priests for mummifying the bodies of important people. I had to increase the ISO setting on the camera to obtain this available-light shot.

 

From Q’enqo we moved on to Sacsayhuaman, another archaeological complex that was dedicated to worship of the sun. Consisting of three levels of beautifully-constructed walls, it was built between the 14th and 15th centuries and is reputed to have taken around 70 years and more than 20,000 labourers to complete. The rocks that make up the walls have been trimmed with such precision that they fit together almost seamlessly. It is impossible to insert even a fine sliver of material between them.

 

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The outer walls of Sacsayhuaman contain some stones that are considerably taller and wider than a standing person and remain as a testament to the engineering skills of the Incas.

 

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Tourists visiting Sacsayhuaman are greeted by the usual locals dressed in traditional costume, who will pose for photographs for a handful of coins.

 

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Stones are fitted together with a degree of precision that remains remarkable today.

 

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A statue of Christ on an adjacent hillside provides an ironic contrast to the older Inca structures.

 

The structures in Sacsayhuaman also exhibit the traditional Inca habit of tapering inwards slightly at they rise, an effective protection against earthquake damage. In front of the complex is a natural formation of volcanic rock that emerges from the surface. Facing it across a shallow valley, on an adjacent hill, is a statue of Jesus that is approximately 25 meters called “The White Christ” that was a present by the colonial Palestine to Cusco. The juxtaposition of the two monuments could be seen as ironic, given the damage the conquistadores did to the Inca remains.

After exploring Sacsayhuaman, we returned to the centre of Cusco to explore the Inca remains in and around the main square. It was only then that I discovered I had left the ISO setting on my camera at 1600 (which I had used to take pictures in the underground sections of Q’enqo). This was quite a blow as it meant none of the shots I took with this setting could be enlarged for printing. However, it served as a lesson to check all my camera settings each time I power-up the camera.

 

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In the courtyard of the Convent at Qoricancha. Remains of the original Inca building have been preserved in an area to the left of this collonade but photography is prohibited within the building.

 

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Another view of the courtyard of Qoricancha, showing the main tower of the convent building.

 

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Remains of Inca structures are preserved beside the courtyard on the right side of the above picture. The paintings on the rear wall were produced by local artists of the Cusco School.

 

Restrictions on picture-taking prevented me from recording any details of the interiors of the cathedral complex and the Convent at Qoricancha. However I managed to obtain exterior shots of each of them, as well as some representative pictures of the heart of the city itself. We ended the day by preparing day packs containing items we required for the trip to Machu Picchu in the morning. As we would have to carry them throughout the trip, it was necessary to minimise the amount of clothing and cosmetics we packed so as not to compromise our camera equipment.

 

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Cusco’s streets range from pedestrian stairways that climb up the steep slopes to cobbled avenues that are accessible by cars. Larger vehicles must remain outside the cnty centre.

 

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This walkway retains the stonework of the original Inca buildings that form the base for many current structures in Cusco.

 

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A view from out hotel over the heart of Cusco, showing the tiled roofs and distant hills behind.

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A close-up shows some interesting structural details.

 

We would have a further day at leisure in Cusco on our return from Machu Picchu before heading off to the Manu wilderness region for the big adventure of our trip.