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Cusco |
©
2002 George Wang |
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| The journey begins in Cusco, the center of tourism in Peru, tucked away in the south-east highlands. At an altitude of around 3350m (11,000ft), Cusco ranks with La Paz (Bolivia) and Lhasa (Tibet) as major tourist cities situated at very high altitudes. In 1 hour you leave sea-level-Lima and you're 3350m higher in the thin air of Cusco. Lucky for me some well-timed doses of Diamox made the transition on my body quite easy. | |
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Cusco was the ancient Inca capital and was founded in 1100AD. It was as an important city to the Quechuas (the Inca people) as Mecca is to Muslims, citizens of the empire were required to visit Cusco at least once in their lifetime. Today, most people in the Cusco area are Quechuans and may speak the Quechua language, which bears no resemblance to Spanish. Cusco in Quecha is "Qosqo" About 1/2 of Peru's 24 million people are Quechua, descendents of the Incas. The mixture of Spanish and Quecha blood producing the Mestizo group of people (1/3 of Peru's population). Only 1/5 of the population is "white" Below is a picture of the 17th century baroque cathedral in the Plaza de Armas, situated at the heart of the city and focal point for tourists and locals alike. Street hawkers, restaurants/bars and "casa de cambios" line the perimeter of the square.
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La Compania de Jesus, built in the late 17th century lies along one side of the square.
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Caught in a tourist trap, oh well, when in Rome.....
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Inca architecture can still be seen throughout Cusco. Case in point are these smooth, mortar-less walls along this street. The Incas were such great craftsmen they carved their building stones so precisely the fit together, not requiring an adhesive substance like mortar. Inca architecture survived earthquakes but unfortunately not the deliberate destruction by the Conquistatdors.
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Cusco sprawls over the surrounding hillsides in all directions
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Viva El Peru carved into the hills surrounding Cusco
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