Cuzco is a city of 350,000 people higher than 10,000 feet above sea level. It was the capital of the Inca Empire. They called it "the navel of the world". Now most of its inhabitants are dependent upon tourism for their income.
The cathedral is the main attraction within the city.
The cathedral is the main attraction within the city.
But it's the ruins nearby that draw the tourists: the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. I used Cuzco as a base to see those sites, as well as for visiting the Amazon cloud forest to the northeast and for a river-rafting trip of the Amazon's headwaters to the west.
Cuzco is also the best place in Peru for tourists to enroll in Spanish courses, though I didn't do that.
Below are pics of my accommodations in Cuzco, Amaru Hostel II, a beautiful place with great amenities for tourists: internet, laundry, luggage storage, and good breakfast, located in Cuzco's trendy San Blas neighborhood not far from the main square. I stayed at this hotel several times over the course of a month.
Right: The pulpit in the Church of San Blas is considered the finest example of New World colonial woodcarving. It was carved by an Incan artisan whose name has been forgotten. Photography wasn't allowed so I got this pic from the web.
The Sacred Valley is "sacred" because it is the route of the Urubamba River, which was critical to farming and trade in the region surrounding Cuzco during Inca times.
I took a Sacred Valley tour that included the market at Pisac (under the famous terraces overlooking the town), the colonial church at Chinchero, and the ruins at Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was my favorite part of the tour.
I took a Sacred Valley tour that included the market at Pisac (under the famous terraces overlooking the town), the colonial church at Chinchero, and the ruins at Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was my favorite part of the tour.
Below: the Sacred Valley with Rio Urubamba at its base.
Ollantay- tambo. Between the mountains in the pic to the right, is one of the only places where the Spanish conquistadores lost a battle to the Incas. After the Spanish had initially conquered the Incas, they installed a puppet ruler named Manco Inca. ("Inca" actually means emperor; the people called their nation "Tawantinsuyu", which means the land of four quarters, equivalent to the four cardinal compass points. Europeans have called them the Inca because that's easier to say.)
After following orders for several years, Manco Inca rebelled. He lost a battle near Cuzco and fled to the terraced fortress of Ollantaytambo. ("Tambo" means shelter; Ollantay was a great warrior of generations earlier who had founded the fortress. His profile is said to be visible (I couldn't make it out) on the left edge of the mountain opposite the valley in the above photo -- he was said to be on watch in the direction of the Incas' traditional enemies.) Manco Inca realized that by flooding the plain between the mountains in the above photo, he could mire the Spaniards' horses, thus nullifying their combat advantage. It worked and the Incas prevailed in the battle. Unfortunately, Spanish reinforcements came and Manco Inca lost the rematch and was forced to flee to the cloud forest stronghold of Vilcabamba. That was where the Incas made their last stand before dispersing into the Amazon jungle, where it is believed that many of their treasures still wait to be found.
Right: Moray, a site in the Sacred Valley where it is believed that the Incas experimented with agriculture, creating microclimates on these beautiful terraces to determine strategies to grow various crops. I didn't visit this site, but now wish that I had (though it's supposed to be greener and prettier in the rainy season), despite requiring a cab because there is no bus service to it.
I took this pic from the web.
