Cusco

SOUTH VALLEY

Andahuaylillas

It is located at 3198m.a.s.l. (3100 meters) (10170 feet), 35 km (about 25 miles, 1 hour ) to the south (east) of Cusco by the paved road leading to Puno. Its lands are very fertile and there are two important tourist attractions; it has a church with humble external aspect that keeps one of the most valuable jewels of the colonial art in Peru, denominated the Capilla Sixtina of Peru.” The interior of the Church of San Pedro of Andahuaylillas is an explosion of Baroque art with great quantity of decorations. It was built in 1631, and according to the Spanish tradition, about an Inca temple, it has numerous and beautiful paintings of the Escuela Cusqueña; its altars and wood carvings are beautiful pieces elaborated in leaf of gold, its colored roof is a perfect beauty.

Andahuaylillas is huge square is decorated with “pisonay” (trees of Coral) and the trees of palm. Its greatest treasure is the colonial church of Andahuaylillas.. This church was possibly built over some important Inca temples, maybe “Waka” (the urn). They used carved and sites, from the religious Inca architecture, to build the base of the churches.

Lucre

Small town located at 35 km. (22 miles) southeast of Cusco, beautiful Andean landscapes, and a beautiful lagoon, where families living in Cusco go on Sunday for walks, vacation and recess center.

Very near the city, we find the Lucre lagoon or Huacarpay at about 3200 meters high (10500 feet). This was a shelter of wild fauna species such as wild ducks, geese and flamingos due to the suitable atmosphere produced thanks to totora canes and terraces to cultivate in the rocky faces of the mountains. They also fished trout and atherine.

Pikillacta

Located at 38 km. (23.6 miles) southeast of Cusco, remains of a city that occupied an area of 50 hectares, big buildings, some of two floors, embankments, big walls that reach up to 7 m height, aqueducts. Also highlights the great quantity of colcas (deposits of grains), and the style of their construction, with small stones, put together with mud.

This location is a place where you can also magnify the reach achieved by the Inca in the architecture and urban organization. The historians attribute to this place a character of military defense and center of supplies, for the big deposits of agricultural products, tools, dresses and war weapons that have been found

Pikillacta and the Lucre Lagoon

Pikillacta or City of fleas is a national archaeological park with landscapes of great interest. It is situated in the province of Quispicanchis and covers an area of 8453 acres. It was one of the most spectacular regional centers of the Wari culture.

Pikillacta is a compound word in Quechua that means lousy town (piki: fleas, llaqta: town). Despite of the fact that the original name is not known, this place was called “Pikillaqta” since the last years of the colonial period or at the beginning of the republic.

It is situated at 32 km (20 miles) to the east and at 22 km to the south of the city of Cusco following the asphalted road to Puno. Currently, they use the paved road to Puno and Arequipa. It is at 3150 m.a.s.l.

The constructions of Pikillacta are composed by more than 700 structures: 200 Kanchas (departments), 504 qolqas (storages) and different buildings that should have sheltered a population of about ten thousand people.

The city was displayed in a harmonious and symmetric way, in blocks with straight streets that embraced many sectors such as the administrative, ceremonial, urban, defensive and a road system. Its buildings had 2 or 3 floors of 12 meters high each one.

Raqchi

Raqchi is part of the district of San Pedro de Cacha, province of Canchis. Is located on one side of the Vilcanota river at 3500 meters (11500 feet). It seems that its Prehispanic name was “Cacha” instead of “Raqchi” .

There are evidences proving that Raqchi was a complex town of multiple constructions, even the terraces to cultivate had different purposes. “Kanchas” (apartments), “wayranas” (building of only three walls), “qolqas” (storages), different urns, the religious fountains, etc. It was possibly an important “tambo” along the route to go to Collayuso.

The most important building inside the complex is the “Wiracocha temple” that according to the old chroniclers was built by the Inca Wiracocha in honour to the Superior God invisible for the Andean people: “Apu Kon Titi Wiracocha”.

Rumicolca

Inca archaeological area, located at 39 km. (24.2 miles) southeast of Cusco and at 1 km. (0.62 miles) of Piquillacta. It constituted the main and obligatory entrance to Cusco in the route to the Collasuyo (county of the south, in the Tahuantisuyo), with functions of customs. A great and imposing cover built in carved stone, surrounded with high walls in which inferior vertex a water channel runs, also a great aqueduct that was used to take water to the population of Piquillacta.

Tipón

Inca archaeological area, located at 23 km. (14 miles) southeast of Cusco. Agricultural area, megalithic buildings and a citadel. A great “andenería” (terraces) group, with terraces of great size that diminish of area when ascending to the mountain. A great wall goes over all the contours of this area; at the center a group of buildings built with immense rocks, and remains of an old citadel. In this area a great Inca population existed.

The original name in Quechua is unknown. You can admire several royal rooms that according Victor Angles were built by the Inca Wiracocha as a house and shelter for his father Yawar Wakaq who returned after the war against the Chankas.

This group of village is at 3500 meters (11480 feet). Besides there is a big area to cultivate with walls built with stones perfectly carved. Even more impressive is the system of the irrigation that is still used in agriculture.

The advantage is the water captured in the spring season. The river is channelled by some carved stones that have been accurately calculated, they sometimes form falls almost vertical composing an excellent hydraulic engineering work. Some of the fountains must have ceremonial purposes. Due to its location and the existence of a round wall, Tipon must have been a very exclusive place interdependent to other sectors such as “Intiwatana” to the west, “Pukutuyoq”, “Pukara”, “Hatun Wayk’o”, etc.

TOURIST SITES AROUND CUSCO

Laqo Lanlakuyoq and Cusilluchayoq

Pre-Hispanic adoration places, located at 5 km. east of Cusco. Representations of felines, monkeys and snakes had been carved in the rocks. It is a particularly interesting place for the followers of occult and spiritual movements.

Qenqo

Sanctuary dedicated to the adoration of animals, ruins formed by a rocky place with stairs in zigzag, it has a main building like a circular amphitheatre where 19 window sills are located as a way of seats.

It is presumed that this place was an adoration place, supporting this presumption the presence of an enormous stone block of 5.9 m. height that has the appearance of a puma. There is labyrinth entrance toward underground galleries, passages, channels, and stairs with signs of a remote culture; these reveal a series of drawings and engravings outstanding the figures of pumas.

It is located at 4 km. of the Main Square, following the way to Sacsayhuamán.

Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman (Quechua voice Satiate hawk) Inca architectural masterpiece. Impressive megalithic ruins located in the peak of a hill that dominates the north of the city. The historians of the Spanish conquest attributed it military purposes that then became religious, and finally a place of work.

Its walls are formed by enormous stone blocks that reach up to 9 m. height, 5 m. width and 4 m. thickness. Its biggest is calculated to have a weight of 125 tons; the visitor will wonder how they have been taken there. The union of the enormous rocks was assembled in a perfect way without use of cement. Its main wall is constituted by three successive walls in zigzag, the second and the third superimposed to the first one.

Its platforms have an average of 360 m. length and communicate by stairs, and access doors. The throne of the Inca is surrounded by rocks in front of the ramparts that dominate the esplanade and the “rodadero” (circular place), located in the same plateau.

Sacsayhuamán was scenario of important historical facts, especially during the Spanish conquest. Every year the evocation to the Inti Raymi is celebrated there.

It is located at 3 km. of the Main Square and you can arrive there walking.

Puca Pucara

Puca Pucara is a military construction located near Cusco, in Peru. This fortress is composed of large walls, terraces and staircases and was part of the defensive complex of Cusco in particular and the Inca Empire in general.

In the scope of the archaeological constructions near the capital of the extinct empire, this locality is visited. Puca Pucara receives its name in Quechua of “Red Fortress”, due to the red color that the rocks acquire during the twilight. Puca Pucara is another example of military architecture that also functioned as an administrative center, has terraces, superimposed terraces, stairs and passageways.

Tambomachay

Located 7 km from the city, It was an Inca sanctuary dedicated to the cult of the water, and it was a reserved place for the Inca. It is known as the “Baños del Inca” (Inca’s spa). Construction of fine lithic finishes and high domain of the hydraulic engineering.

It is a group of walls, united by stairs, with springs that fall to a puddle through channels. The fall of water that gets the attention in these ruins part from the terrace of the second wall and the drainage spill on the first where a small puddle is found.

The window sills, hole or niches of 2 m. height, was the place from where according to the historians, the Inca and the important people of his court subdue cult to the god Inti (sun) with rites of water.

COLONIAL AND IMPERIAL CUSCO

Calle Hatun Rumiyoc

This is perhaps the best known street in the city. In one of its walls of carved stone (the Archbishop’s Palace) you can find the famous stone with the 12 corners, identical to the one which forms a part of the old palace of Inca Roca. This street, rich in magnetism, offers an excellent access to the picturesque craft neighbourhood of San Blas.

Church and Convent of the Merced

Founded in 1536, the outstanding feature of the church and the convent is its tower in the Baroque style. In its interior you can find Baroque Renaissance cloisters. The choir is decorated with chairs in the Baroque Plateresque style and numerous figures and paintings of colonial art. There is a monstrance of gold and beautiful stones that is 1.3 m. high and 22 kg. in weight, with a big pearl in the form of a siren, and it is considered the second biggest in the world

Main Square

In the time of the Incas the main square was known as the ‘Square of the warrior’. It has been the scene of several important events in the history of Cusco. Every year the beginning of the spectacular ‘Inti Raymi’ or ‘Fiesta del Sol’ is began here. It was also in the Main Square that Francisco Pizarro proclaimed the conquest of Cusco and it was also the scene for the death of Tupar Amaru I (1571), the commander of the unsuccessful Inca resistance. The arrival of the Spanish saw the Plaza surrounded by beautiful arcades of stone in traditional colonial style, these can still be seen and admired today. In the Plaza you also find the Cathedral and the church of the Society of Jesus.

The Cathedral of Cusco

The first cathedral in Cusco was built in 1539 in the “Suntur Wasi”, and was known at the time as the church of victory. Later between the years 1560 and 1664 a new cathedral was constructed on the site of “Kiswar Kancha”, the palace of Inca Wiraqocha. It was designed in the shape of a Latin cross. The facade is in the Renaissance style contrasting with the Baroque and Plateresque. The Cathedral is also famous for its splendid interior. .

It has excellent examples of colonial goldsmith’s work and woodcarving and a valuable collection of canvases in the style of the so called Cusqueña School. On either side of the Cathedral, there are two auxiliary chapels, one for victory and the other for Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The Church The Society of Jesus

Construction started on this church of the Jesuit order in 1576 at Amarukancha or the Palace of the Inca Huayna Qhapaq. It is considered the best example of colonial Baroque architecture in America. The facade, all of carved stones, is spectacular. In the interior there is a beautiful gold altar, which is built over an underground chapel. The church also possesses a collection of sculptures and paintings, such as the wedding of Saint Ignatius Loyola’s cousin and a Ñusta of Inca stock.

Temple of San Blas

The Temple of San Blas was built in the old neighbourhood of “T’oqokachi” in 16th century. In the church you can see extraordinary examples of fine woodcarving in the Spanish churrigueresque style. The pulpit is carved from cedar wood and the main altar is Baroque style .

San Blas also known as the neighbourhood of the artisans is one of the most picturesque places in the city. Its narrow back streets zigzag between grand old houses built of Inca stones and gentle little squares.
The neighbourhood also houses shops and stores of the most renowned artisans of Cusco, such as Hilario Mendívil and Edilberto Mérida, Santiago Rojas and Maximiliana Palomino.