Things to see and do Cusco

The convent was built above the Qoricancha, the gold district in Quechua, whose temple of the Sun occupied, in the feline configuration of the city, the sex. Embellished by Pachacútec, the temple, from the top of its promontory, dominated a series of terraced gardens whose upper platform served as a foundation for the various temples dedicated to the deities: Sun, Stars, Moon, Rainbow... In the middle stands, mute, a ceremonial fountain made of massive stone. The whole, embedded in the convent, is the most beautiful example of the building skills of the Incas. It is a pity that the church built above it by the conquistadores has somewhat dulled the Inca work. But one cannot but be transported by the sober beauty of the temples of the Sun (Inti), of the Moon (Qilla) and of Venus (Chaska), daughter of the previous ones. The interior of all the temples was covered with gold leaf - silver for that of the Moon - and contained, it is assumed, the mummies of the wives and concubines of the sons of the Sun. The gardens were decorated with gold figurines that the conquistadores hastened to melt into ingots. Built immediately after the conquest, Santo Domingo was destroyed by the earthquakes of 1650 and 1950. It was during the latter earthquake that the fragments of the ancient temples were discovered. Of the church, the baroque bell tower from the 17th century is worth mentioning and, in the cloister, the pinacoteca with its colonial paintings.

This is probably the most touristy pedestrian street in the city, but it is not to be missed. When you take Calle del Triunfo and head towards San Blas, it opens onto the Palacio Arzobispal. Very narrow, we go along its high walls and then we pass, at number 451, in front of the famous "stone of the twelve angles" where an Inca is planted to take the picture. Immediately after, on the right, we take the Pasaje Inca Roca where there are two other beautiful walls of the ancient palace of this sovereign. A lot of handicrafts at very cheap prices in this zone.

This small church, the oldest in Cusco, dates from 1536. It houses a priceless cedar pulpit, carved in a single piece, which took its creator, Diego Tomás de Cerda, twenty-five years of work. The work, purely baroque, is a firework display of swollen cherubs, chubby cherubs, grimacing monsters and climbing flora. The main altar, by Mateo Tuyro Túpac, and the beautifully carved balcony are also worth seeing. This small church on the Plaza San Blas is often neglected, wrongly so.

Begun in 1564, the cathedral was completed a century later. The pink volcanic stones of its façade were taken from the citadel of Saqsayhuamán. The sober Renaissance façade contrasts with the busy plateresque style of the interior. In the shape of a Latin cross, the building has a chapter house, three naves, a sacristy and no less than ten side chapels, all of which are adorned with carved cedar objects (gilded with gold leaf or embossed silver) and nearly 400 painted canvases. In the side chapels there is a stone altar and the nave where Inca Garcilaso de la Vega is buried. The name of one of the chapels (triumph) comes from the Virgen del Triunfo who would have saved the lives of 200 Spaniards during the siege of Cusco by Manco II.

The cathedral has a 17th century choir, whose cedar seats are true works of art. Here the styles clash but dazzle: rococo central altar of the Santísima Trinidad, Churrigueresque altarpieces, baroque pulpits... In the chapels, the profusion of paintings of the school of Cusco (Sinchi Roca, Marcos Zapata and Diego Quispe Tito) transforms the cathedral into a museum (note the painting entitled the Ultima Cena, where appears a cuy, symbol of syncretism). El Señor de los Temblores shows a Christ whose face is blackened by the smoke from the candles that burn constantly nearby. The centrepiece of the church is a 22-carat gold monstrance, 1.2 m high, weighed down with more than 2,000 precious stones and weighing 27 kg.

This private museum is undoubtedly the richest of Cusco. On two floors, it takes us into the world of pre-Columbian civilizations in a seductive way, each of the rooms recreating the atmosphere of the dedicated civilization. The Sala Formativa exhibits ceramics from the Cupisnique and Pacopampa eras (from 1250 BC to the present day); the Sala de Madera, sculptures of wooden gods from the Chimú and Inca civilizations (1300-1532 AD); the Sala Nazca, Nazca vases and sculptures (1 to 800 AD); the Sala Mojito, the Sala de Málaga, and the Sala de MálagaC.); the Sala Mochica (1 to 800 A.D.), frightening bottles with owl heads mounted on pumpkin bodies; the Sala Huari (800 to 1300 A.D.), ceramics and terracotta objects on the theme of women and fertility; the Sala Chancay-Chimú (1300-1532 A.D.), bottles with heads of owls mounted on pumpkin bodies; the Sala Chancay-Chimú (1300-1532 A.D.), ceramics and terracotta objects on the theme of womenC.), bottles with bird heads; the Sala Inca (1300-1532 AD), musical instruments (ocarinas in the shape of shells), tools of war but also impressive basins of imposing size; the Sala de Conchas Marinas, all kinds of mochica jewels (1 to 800 AD) made of shells and other materialsC.) made of shells and shark bones, all in an atmosphere of marine funds; the Sala de Plata, brooches and ceremonial jewels skilfully worked by the Chimú, who knew how to combine aesthetics and usefulness; finally, the Sala de Oro, jewels, weapons and vicús crowns (- 1200 to our era). Visit strongly recommended.

In this quiet square, note the carved colonial porticos and the walls of the Yachayhuasi, or Temple of Knowledge, which form part of the façade of the Las Nazarenas church. We then pass by the Calle de las Siete Culebras and the Casa de las Serpientes. The imposing Casa Cabrera, belonging to the Banco Continental, was built in 1534 and houses the MAP. You can visit the 17th century church of San Antonio Abad,, with its elaborate doorway, as well as the monastery occupied by the luxurious Hotel Monasterio (free admission, see reception).

This is a church founded by the Franciscans in 1645, two facades and one steeple, in the purest colonial style: carved wooden chorus and chairs and chair impregnated with ivory. In the gallery, paintings of the most famous names of Cusco school (Quispe Tito, Santa Cruz, Sinchi Roca, Zapata) and the immense painting 12 m on 9 m, painted by Juan Espinoza de los Monteros and tracing the genealogy of the Franciscan'family ', are noted.

Dating from 1576, this church was built by the Jesuits, to overshadow the cathedral, on the site of the Amarukancha, the palace of Wayna Cápac. It is considered the finest achievement of colonial religious architecture in the Americas. Its baroque facade of carved stone is magnificent. With a single nave, topped by two bell towers, it houses a dome and a gilded altar, an underground chapel, crypts, secret passages and hidden stairways. From its bell tower, there is a superb view of the Plaza de Armas. We recommend.

The church is reached by climbing the hill through the narrow streets of San Blas. The Catholic temple is located on the remains of the Colcampanta palace, built during the reign of Pachacútec, of which a double wall with niches and a door can still be seen. Made of adobe, except for the 18th century stone bell tower, San Cristóbal lights up at night, watching over the Plaza de Armas. The square is a lookout point from which much of the city can be seen. The bell tower offers an even more impressive view, but only for those who have paid the boleto religioso.

Point of sale of boleto turistico also.

This Inca site protected Cusco. It is the most important of the circuit of the 4 ruins above the city. If you have time to see only one site, let it be this one. It is also easier to reach it by foot being the closest to the city. From the fortress, you have a unique panoramic view of the city. The walls are on three levels representing the three worlds (above, men, and below) and are shaped like a huge zigzag: in this sanctuary was honored the lightning. The stones exactly adjusted, to the multiple angles, to the smooth curves, being able to reach 5 m of height and to weigh until 360 t, were brought from a quarry exploited on the other side of the hill (unheard of performance when we know that the Incas knew neither the horse nor the wheel). Access doors and flights of stairs lead to the religious sector where two stone altars appear, the foundations of the Torreón, a circular watchtower where we can see perfectly the channels of water conveyance that fed it, carved in the rock.

Separated from this gigantic complex by an esplanade where the Inti Raymi is celebrated (festival of the Sun celebrated on June 24) is the rocky hillock polished by the use and strangely striated from where the Inca presided over the ceremonies from the top of his stone throne. Further on, between the tombs, around the circular reservoir discovered in 1986, wind the chincanas, underground passages dug in the earth or the rock and supported by adobe walls.

At 500 m from Saqsayhuamán, this important sanctuary is especially noteworthy for its construction torn from the cold granite. In the center of the amphitheater where nineteen niches are carved in the rock, a monolithic idol displays its feline form, symbol of fertility. Beneath the huge boulder is a sanctuary with a sacrificial altar and throne. On the summit, other seats and thrones surround a zigzagging channel, evoking lightning or a snake. All around are the terraces that the Incas and their predecessors used for cultivation.

It is at 200 m from the fort of Puka Pukará that the Inca went to bathe, it is believed, in a temple dedicated to the cult of water. The superimposed fountains where the precious liquid gushes out in large crystalline bubbles all year round, the aqueducts, the canals, the terraces and the superb stone walls make this place a magical haven in the surrounding aridity. It is easy to understand why the sons of the Sun used to rest here. Very well preserved, it complements the visit of the fortress of Saqsayhuaman and is integrated into the circuit of the 4 ruins.

Awana Kancha is a museum located in Pisac, near Cusco. It is a terraced farm housing alpacas, llamas and vicuñas, where visitors can observe these animals up close. The site also has a store selling products made from their fur. Awana Kancha offers several attractions, including a South American camelid interpretation center, where visitors can learn more about the history of these animals and their role in Peruvian culture. There's also a Peruvian Textile Interpretation Center, where visitors can learn about the different fibers used to make textiles and the traditional tools used by pre-Columbian cultures. The site also features a natural dyeing room, where you can observe the process of dyeing animal fibers. Finally, there's a store where visitors can buy locally-made textile products.