Cusco

Cusco was the seat of the Inca empire. This is a picture on the Plaza de Armas---once a great square where celebrations, sacrifices, etc. took place. The Spanish tore down the great Inca palaces and built their churches on the foundations. The picture on the left is of the Templo de la Compania de Jesus. It is built on the site of the palace of the Inca Huyana Capac, said to be the most beautiful of all rulers' palaces. On the square you can see a group of schoolgirls. I enjoyed seeing all the kids in their uniforms.


This picture, also on the Plaza de Armas, shows La Catedral. It was completed in 1669 and has a painting of the Last Supper showing the apostles drinking chicha (corn beer--drink of the Incas) and eating cuy (guinea pig). It is built on the site of the Inca Viracocha.








This picture shows Grant by an Inca wall that remains standing on a side street in Cusco. As you look at the wall, notice how smooth and straight the stones are. They fit so tightly together (without any mortar) that nothing can slip between them. They have withstood many earthquakes which have devastated other buildings in Cusco.




Here Grant stands on the site of Qoricancha, the former Temple of the Sun, said to be the most sumptuous temple in the Inca empire. It housed 4,000 of the highest ranking priests and was said to be a glittering palace---Qoricancha means "golden courtyard" in Quechua. Hundreds of gold panels lined the walls, life sized golden statues, solid gold altars and a huge gold sun disc which reflected the sun were on the interior. The Spanish emptied the temple of the gold, which they melted down, ransacked and tore down the temple and then built on its foundation the Convento of Santo Domingo. You see it in the background.

Another view of the former site of Qoricancha. Looking closely you can see the remains of an Inca wall. The grassy area was part of the original temple and was built over with houses that were damaged in earthquakes. In an effort to clean up the area in the late 1990s, the shacks were torn down and in the process, treasures of the Incas were found, including pottery, mummies, weapons, and jewelry. Because these were buried underground, they were not found and destroyed by the Spaniards.