Welcome to Cusco, ‘Land of the Incas’! [pictured right]

At 3399 masl, we’re ready to master arqueological mysteries with South American warmth, and a pinch of altitude sickness upon arrival.

Julio is impatiently waiting at the airport for a six day excursion around the city,  nearby villages, and the Machu Picchu ruins.

Staying in the uphill narrow cobblestone streets of the bohemian San Blas neighbourhood, situated behind the Plaza de Armas, we photograph the panoramic city views from our hotel lobby.

I struggle against the altitude, and Julio serves me coca-leaf tea, “the essential remedy to avoid missing out on the city tour,” he says. The taste is bitter, especially without sugar, though it really calms down my headache and slight dizziness.

Admiring the mixture of Inca built walls, colonial buildings and churches around the city, it’s evident that Cuzqueños (Cuzco inhabitants) progress due to tourism influx. Today, less Cuzqueños speak their ancestral language ‘Quechua’, and most of their customs, religious beliefs and rituals are Spanish  influenced.

San Blas is popular for  backpacker accomodations and boutique hotels,[ left] and packed with  artisan workshops; jewellery, clothing and Alpaca designer stores; plus the essential internet and  laundry services.

A tour of the Plaza’s main Cathedral [below] is art inspiring.

The design has a  latin-cross base, with the façade in Renaissance style, very ornamental.  

It contains a valuable collection of canvases from the Escuela Cusqueña (Academy of Cusco), which consists in the mixture indigineous and Spanish elements. Soon, the group start disccussing its unique beauty, drawing comparisons with Limas’s cathedral.

Then, a 15 minute walk south-downtown, we enter the Koricancha Temple, (Quechua for ‘Golden Courtyard’).

Once the richest temple of the Inca empire, all that remains is the masterful stonework, which form the base of the Santo Domingo convent and church.

The Koricancha  was literally covered in gold until Spanish looting. The 10th, Inca  Yupanki, built it during the 15th century. It was used as a celestial observatory, as well as a Inca cementary.

Then, came the construction of Santo Domingo, owned by Francisco Pizarro until he bequeathed it to the Dominicans.

Today, this combination of  Inca/ colonial architecture makes is one Cuzco’s most attractive sites worth a visit.

The tour ends with a 15 minute drive outside the city, to the Saqsayhuaman Archaeological Complex. Only 20% of its original ruins remain, since the Spanish took many of the stones to Cuzco to build their homes.

The area contains 33 archaeological sites, with Saqcsayhuaman the most famous, known to historians as a military contruction. During the conquest, Saqsayhuaman was the battle site between 50  Spanish calvary led by Francisco Pizarro’s brother, Juan and indigineous rebel, Manco Inca, who under docile alliance with the Spanish rebelled. Manco Inca used Saqcsayhuaman as a base to lay seige to the conquistadores, though he survived the bloody battle, and retreated to the fortress of Ollantaytambo.

Saqsayhuaman comprises three-tiered zig zag fortifications, which in the vision of the ninth, Inca Pachacutec,  has  the shape of a puma’s head. In between the ruins, a huge grass plaza becomes the epicentre of Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun every 24th of June. The Inti Raymi, is a dramatic reenacment of Inca rituals and worship of the Sun God.

A real pity no one could come back in June. Our only solution is to continue exploring the site’s fascinating stonework, carvings, rich history and myths.

In the next days, Intrepid guides us through the Machu Picchu ruins and sorrounding villages.

Getting there

Fly to Lima with Lan Chile via Auckland and Santiago. See www.lan.com or call 1800 221 572.

For further information on the Intrepid ‘Peruvian Pathways’, and other tours to Peru, see www.intrepidtravel.com or call 1300 364 512

For information on Peru, see www.peru.info/perueng.asp

A Report by Silvia Garcia on location in Peru for TravelMole