Cuzco – Peru

Cuzco was the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th until the 16th-century Spanish conquest. 

The Spanish explorer Pizarro sacked much of the Inca city in 1535. Remains of the palace of the Incas, Qurikancha(the Temple of the Sun) and the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun still stand. Inca buildings and foundations in some cases proved to be stronger than the foundations built in present day Peru.

Catedral de Cusco

To the left the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, also known as Cusco Cathedral. Built in 1539 on the foundations of the Palace of Viracocha Inca. The main material used was stone, which was extracted from nearby quarries, although some blocks of red granite were taken from the fortress of Saksaywaman.

Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús

This church (Church of the Society of Jesus), whose construction was initiated by the Jesuits in 1576 on the foundations of the Amarucancha or the palace of the Inca ruler Wayna Qhapaq, is considered one of the best examples of colonial baroque style in the Americas.

Its façade is carved in stone and its main altar is made of carved wood covered with gold leaf. It was built over an underground chapel and has a valuable collection of colonial paintings of the Cusco School.

While walking around the center of the city  its possible to see how the inca structures were used for the spaniards after trying to erase their legacy.

Qurikancha & Convento Santo Domingo

The Qurikancha (“golden place”) was the most important sanctuary dedicated to the Sun God (Inti) at the time of the Inca Empire.  Qurikancha was said to have featured a large solid golden disc that was studded with precious stones and represented the Inca Sun God – Inti.

The temple was destroyed by its Spanish invaders who, as they plundered, were determined to rid the city of its wealth, idolaters and shrines. Nowadays, only a curved outer wall and partial ruins of the inner temple remain at the site.

With this structure as a foundation, colonists built the Convent of Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) in the Renaissance style. The building, with one baroque tower, exceeds the height of many other buildings in this city.

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This photo was taken in december a few days before or after new years. I been trying to remember and find out why was this done or the name, hopefully I will be able to find out soon.

I think that baby lamas are one of the cutest animals ever.

One of the things that I wanted to try in Peru was CUY or a Guinea pig. The chef made this cute presentation for me, however I had to ask the chef to pick it apart since I couldn’t do it.  The taste was ok.

 

 

 

 

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