June 15 - Monday, Still Touring Cusco!

Enjoyed the Peruvian food a bit too much yesterday, so my tummy needs tea and bread this morning. Ah, the price one pays for enjoying the tastes & goodies of another culture!

Once again, we were picked up by our guide & driver, for the Cusco City Tour, which turned out to be fantastic! (This time, we were wise - we chose a 9 a.m. pick-up!)

Koriancha & Santo Domingo were our first stops. This beautiful building, constructed of basset rock, was the 'golden enclosure' built to honour the famous Inca Sun God. The Spanish church and convent of Santo Domingo were built over (on top of) the Inca structure, something the Spanish did quite frequently, in order to destroy the pagan relics of the Inca culture, and establish a strong Christian following. We've seen this in many cities so far. The devastation of the massive and beautifully constructed Inca temples by the Spanish & Dominican Order makes one weep.

During Peru's many earthquakes for instance, the perfectly engineered stones of the Inca structures have remained intact. Whereas, the Spanish structures (usually added walls on top of the Inca stones), were totally destroyed. On one building such as this, there was sign on the Inca wall saying "The Competents". On the Spanish constructed wall above it, another sign read "The Incompetents". Very interesting, and approriate!?

Our guide's immense knowledge of Andean and Inca culture meant that Bruce & I learned to respect and appreciate the history of these peoples.

Next stop - Saqusaywoman -and immense site of granite rock ruins, significant both as a military and religious site. This is the site where the Spanish Conquistadors captured the last Inca king & tribe. It remains the major site of the June 24 yearly Inca celebrations, honouring the past Inca cultures. (And, celebrate, they do! People come from all over the world to see this.)

The block stones of these ruins are the largest we have every seen, one stone weighing 300 tons, with a height of 17 feet. Archeologists are still finding new ruins and Inca terracing in this area. They are busy at work, with these work areas being roped off for tourist protection. It was very interesting to see the archeologists and their team o this work.

The smooth black stones fitted so perfectly together, that not even the finest blade of a knife could penetrate through the join. Fascinating, totally fascinating. As we walked the site, we continued to be in awe with the fine work of the Incas - our jaws were continually opened! (I know I've said this many times before, but each time we visit a ruin, Bruce & I are in awe, with the worksmanship & its history!)

From this vantage point of Saqusaywoman, one can see the entire city of Cusco below. School dancing competitions are still going on at the Plaza d'Armas - so colourful, even from our high viewpoint!) The rust-coloured clay rooftops of Cusco resemble a tiled floor from here, as the homes are built so closely together.

Next stop - a camelid farm reserve, with alpacas, llamas, & vicunas; where we saw the different breeds of these animals. We became aware of the variety of the uses of each animal and its history within Peru. The long-haired suri alpaca for instance only has enough wool for two sweaters per year! Quite the education! We really enjoyed this visit, as so many of our questions regarding the history of these animals were answered.

Onto another ruin - The Water Temple, where we saw how the water channel structures and aquaducts were devised by the Incas - so that each piece of land had water. So interesting - such fine engineers they were!

From this vantage point, we were able to photograph the stone structure of Puca Puccara, the ancient gateway to Cusco, once the city for Inca Royalty only. People had to pass through this gateway, in order to visit the king and his royal court. Not everyone was allowed to enter. What a civilization - class structures existed even then!

Onto Tambomachay, a series of platforms & caves renowned for its sacrifices and a place where "mummies" were mummified, due to the varied levels of humidity in the different caves. We've seen many of these mummies which were taken from gravesites and are now housed in museums.

The Inca culture was indeed a complex one. Such history - such traditions - such customs. All of this was so clearly explained to us. We were thankful to have such excellent guides touring with us. "Andean Treks" deserves much credit for this.

We were supposed to visit the Cathedral, but by this time, 2:00 p.m., we were all exhausted, and hungry - so we thanked our guides, and went on to have lunch, browze a bit more around Cusco, then hiked back to Ninos Hotel for a well-deserved rest!

Will Bruce and I ever just settle down for a day of rest - I don't think so! Too much to see, admire & do!