Cathedrals and Coffee in Cusco

I really like Cusco - and have spent four nights here (2 before and 2 after Machu Picchu - that's the next post!), and although it's rained for two of those evenings, it still doesn't dampen the beauty of the place. 

The city is built on an ancient Incan one - the Spanish razed many of the temples, using the tumbled stones to build churches and Bishop's Palaces on the hefty Incan stone foundations - as you do when you aim to conquer. 

And the churches are so opulent - 1250kg of silver form the altar back of the Cathedral/Basilica in the centre of town (no photos allowed :-( ), and of course many more churches (including that one) are filled with gold walls and endless statues of saints as well.

I also like the way the city is very Spanish in its appearance, reminding me of Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba in the south of Spain, particularly with their tiny steep winding streets, whitewashed walls and little balconies.

The balconies also make excellent viewing places, and I cannot fault Starbucks (yes, and McDonalds is here too - but you would be hard pressed to locate it, as they are not allowed to put signage on the heritage arches and walls), as we sat on their balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas as the sun set.

The uniqueness in this town, however, is the Incan presence. The Incan walls are so skillfully crafted, like giant jigsaws. One guide told us that each stone from quarry to final appearance took 10 months to produce. When you see the scale and number of walls just in town, this figure truly adds up to an amazing feat.

And the traditions are not purely ancient. I love that so many of the women still wear traditional costumes in their daily life. Of course the younger generation do not, so I suppose the time will come when this is only seen for fiestas or tourist gimmicks (like the ladies who pose with baby llamas to charge you for photos - so disreputable!). There are different hats and skirts that identify where a woman comes from, and they vary from the highly perched bowler to the fringed pancakes. They all, however, carry either their goods, food, or babies on their backs with such ease, and all seem more than a little skilled with a needle and thread.

And speaking of skills, I really enjoyed a trip to the Pre-Columbian Museum in town. There were so many peoples here prior to the rise of the Incans around 1300. I took many photos of bowls, statutes, vases (which I won't bore you with here) - except for this one, because it reminded me of grumpy cat on Facebook!!

Today a small group of us went on a half-day tour of the Incan sites just outside of the city - what a revelation! I thought, like many people, that Machu Picchu was the main example of Incan terraces and houses and temples, but there are so many archeological sites. We saw the most immense zig-zag (to represent lightning) three tiered walls around a sun temple at Saqsaywaman (sexy woman! - Okay, it's just me hiding behind the glasses and deep brimmed hat... I have quite a tan already!)

Sadly, many of these sites have only recently come under Government protection. Our guide recalled times when families would picnic, and children play all over the ruins. I remember our guide in Egypt had similar memories of the pyramids at Giza! How times have changed.

We also visited a cave that served as a temple (for embalming as well as making offerings to the Gods) and this beautiful fountain, which includes much of the numerology symbolism the Incas favour (four Mummy niches, one fountain, three large stones, two fountains...).

I have adapted to the altitude, as this fountain was at the end of a gradual incline at around 3,500 metres, and although I was puffing, I didn't feel anywhere near as tragic as I did at Lake Titicaca. I expect to run marathons once we head down to Lima again at sea level tomorrow! ;-)

Okay - I better stop; I could go on and on about Cusco. It has been a highlight - but the real one, Machu Picchu will be the next post. I promise mostly pictures and only a few words. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks to those leaving comments - I spend a fair while writing these posts, so it's nice to know they are read and appreciated.

For now - Altitude Aveline signing off. xxx