* Qoricancha,
or the Temple of the Sun, which is beneath what is
now the building for the Convent of Saint Domingo,
was once one of the most important buildings in all
of the Incas Cusco. Its walls were once plated with
pure Incan gold before the conquistadores captured
the city. Continuing on, we then make our way
towards the Plaza de Armas, where we can see the
beautiful twin Cathedrals, La Compañia and the Main
Cathedral.
*The Cathedral,
whose interior is decorated with touches of cedar and
alder, bursting out from the choir stand; the pulpit,
whose intricate designs are impressive, and the antique
furniture. Along with all of the 400 or so paintings
which were donated by the Cusco school, there is a lot
to see. Afterwards, we will begin to make our way up on
to the sides of the valley behind the city to go to a
series of interesting archaeological ruins.
*Sacsayhuamán,
which is the most famous site on the tour, is well known
for its Imperial Inca architectural style and immense
high rising walls. You can see how they designed the
walls in such a way to zig zag for security. This was
also known to be a place that was used for worshipping
lightening. Just nearby here is the next stop on the
tour,
*Q’enko.
This place is wrought with ceremonial areas and
platforms as well as some underground tunnels that we
will be able to walk through. It is a beautiful
archaeological site in a scenic location just over the
city.
*Puca Pucara
is a fortification formed by terraces, staircases,
passages, towers and platforms.
*Tambomachay,
known to have been something like a bath house in the
days of the Incas, it was considered to be a place to
worship water as noted in the many irrigation chutes at
the site. We will return to the city of Cusco by the
evening time.
Note:
In order to do this excursion, you must have a Tourist
Ticket to get into the many ruins.
