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The Main Square of Cusco
In the Inka times it was called
“Huacaypata”, it is a Quechua word which
means “the place where people cry or meet
each other”. It was an important ceremonial
place where the Inti Raymi or the Sun
Festivity was celebrated each year. It was
the place where Francisco Pizarro proclaimed
his conquest of Cusco. When the Spanish
arrived, the square changed, stone arches
were built and nowadays they still remain.
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The Cathedral of Cusco
Its construction had two stages: first the “capilla
del triumfo” was built over the ancient temple of
Suntur Wasi (The home of God), then The Cathedral
was built over the Palace of Inka Wiracocha, with a
interior decoration rich on cedar and alder wood
carved. The chorus and the pulpit are outstanding
because of its beauty. It keeps an important
collection of cusquenian paintings.
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Compañía de Jesús Church
The original temple was built in 1571 over the lands
of the ancient Amarucancha, the palace of the Inca
Huayna Capac. After the earthquake of 1650, it has
to be rebuilt in 1688. The original plan and the
façade are examples of the Andean baroque. Its stone
walls have been worked carefully. When you enter the
temple, the main altar of 3 bodies and the Salamonic
columns are outstanding, the wood pulpit and many
baroque plateresque and Churrigueresque altarpieces.
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San Blas Quarter
It is located 4 blocks from the Main Square.
It is one of the most picturesque quarters of Cusco.
Called “Toqokachi or Salt Hole”, it is characterized
by its steep and narrow streets, its beautiful
colonial-style houses. It is well-known as the
Quarter of the Craftsmen. San Blas has many families
that offers lodging in their own homes.
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San Blas Temple
San Blas Small Square
It was found in 1560 during the Colonial period, it
keeps its baroque pulpit that is a masterpiece of
wood carved, the indigenous artist Diego Quispe Ttto
was the one who built it.
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Temple and Convent of La Merced
This church of Baroque Style was built between 1657
and 1680. The sacristy keeps if most important
treasure, an amazing gold custody and 1,3 meter-tall
and 48.50 lb-weight gem stones, crowned by a
siren-shaped big pearl, it is considered as the
second biggest of the world.
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Temple and Convent of Santo Domingo / Koricancha
According the feature writers this place was one of
the most important constructions of Cusco; it had
walls covered with gold because it was the main
temple of the sun. The Spanish built over the
original side in 1534 the Church and the Dominic
Convent, this convent has a very important art
gallery with paintings of the XVII and XVIII
century.
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Temple and Convent of Santa Catalina
It was built in 1605 over the ancient Acllahuasi or
“The House of the ones” (“las acllas” were women
dedicated to special tasks for the Inca). Its
architecture corresponds to the last stages of the
Renaissance and it is characterized by its
Roman-style arches. Inside of it there are the signs
of the original construction. It has a exhibition
room with mural paintings, silver works, textile,
sculptures and altarpieces.
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Santa Catalina Museum
Paintings exhibitions, textiles, wood carved and
colonial altarpieces. The most important pieces are
the ones which are of Diego Quispe Tito and the
carpet of the Arcadas gallery, as well as religious
ornaments with gold an silver linens.
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Temple and Convent of San Francisco
It was founded in 1645, it has two facades and a
unique Spanish-style unique tower of quarry. The
most important work is a huge painting; it was made
by Juan Espinoza de los Monteros. It is 12 x9
meter-tall and it reproduces the genealogy of the
Franciscan family.
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Archiepiscopal Palace and the 12-angle Stone
The construction is a vice regal building with Arab
influence, it was built over the palace of Inca
Roca. Nowadays it is the see of Museum of Religious
Art. In the Hatunrumiyoc Street there are an ancient
Inka wall that was part of the Palace of Inca Roca
and it a wonderful sample of the admirable Inca
work, its style of polishing and how they put each
stone in a exactly place. In this construction, the
12-angle stone stresses, a famous piece of work due
its perfect finish and the assembly of its corners.
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Palace of the Almirante
An ancient colonial house, nowadays it is the see of
the Inka Museum. It has an important collection of
archaeological pieces of art including handicrafts,
silver works, textiles and mummies.
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Casa del Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
He was born on April 12th in 1539; El Inca Garcilaso
de la Vega was the son the Spanish Capitan Gracilaso
de la Vega y Vargas and the cusquenian princess
Chimpu Ocllo. He was the author of two literary
work: “Comentarios Reales” and “La Florida del
Inca”, both of them, driven by the necessity of
rescuing the history of the Inca Empire. Nowadays
the house is the see of the Regional Historical
Museum (Muse Histórico Resgional) that collects some
cusquenian paintings.
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Museum Larco de Arte Precolombino
The colonial house that houses the museum was
“Kancha Inca” in 1450, it was the house of the
conqueror Alonso Díaz in 1580, of the Count Cabrera
in 1850, and it was totally restored in June of 2003
to be the Museum of Precolombian Art. It has in its
11 rooms, 450 art works that date back of 1250 B.C.
until 1532 A.C., which were selected from a universe
of 45 thousand objects that belonged to the
Archaelogical Museum of Larco in Lima.
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Archaeological Museum of Sacsayhuaman
This place has 33 archaeological sites; the fortress
of Saqsayhuan is the most famous. This may had been
a religious construction, but because of its
location and its style it was considered by the
Spanish and feature writers as a military building.
There, the most important temple of the Hanan Qosqo
or Cusco of the top may had been located; it may
have been dedicated to the Andean Cosmology, to the
adoration of the Inti (Sun), Quilla (Moon), Chaska
(Stars), Illapa (lightning) and the other
divinities. People say that it is a cyclopean by the
size of its stones, some of them weight among 90 and
128 tons. The Inti Raymo or the Sun Festivity is
celebrated each July 24th.
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Archaeological Complex of Qenko
It is located at the northeast of Cusco
It data from the year 1500 A.C. Qenqo or “labyrinth”
is considered as a holy place where ceremonies to
the Sun, the Moon an the Stars were celebrated.
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Archaeological Complex of Pukapukara
It is located at the northeast from Cusco
This complex has many
precincts, interior squares, aqueducts,
watchtowers and roads; it may have been a
“tambo” or a place where you can rest or as
lodging. People say that when the Inca
visited Tambomachay, he was accompanied by a
retinue and he accommodated on Pukapucara.
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Archaeological Complex of Tambomachay
It is located 4.5 miles at the northeast of Cusco.
Tambomachay may had been an important religious
place connected with the water and the regeneration
of the earth. It may have been built around the year
1500 A.C. linked with Pukapucara. It has an area of
half hectare and the material that was used was
limestone.
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Inka Trail to Machu Picchu
It is part of a Inka road network (Ohapaq Ñan). It
is one of the most important routes of trakking in
South America. In this route you can see many gully
and water of glacier origin. Among the 12 twelve
archaeological monuments: the Qoriwachayrachina,
Patallaqta, Runkuraqay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca,
Intipunku, Intipata y Wiñayhuayna, these are the
most important ones.
You can cose the route. The most poular route is the
ones chich begins in the kilometer 82 of the train
line Cusco-Machu Picchu (40 km. until reaching the
citadel of Machu Picchu). Another possibility that
takes less time, is the one that is called "Sacred
Trail”, that begins in the kilometer 104 of the same
way.
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