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Our first destination in Cuzco was the Temple of the Sun, called Qurikanka(there are about 20 alternate spellings for this building, such as Koricancha, or Coricancha). This was the only day that we planned to be on our own in Peru, all of the other days we had arranged for a guide. However, when we got to Qurikanka, a man offered to be our guide through the temple. Since his price was just 50 Peruvian Soles, we agreed. This was a good decision, because there are few signs inside Qurikanka, so you won't appreciate what you are looking at without someone to explain it to you. Most the information I have included here on Qurikanka came from notes I jotted down while he explained the Inca temples to us. Qurikanka had six Inca temples: The Temple of Rainbows, Water, Lightning, Stars, Moon and the Sun. The Temple complex was full of precious stones, Inca artwork, and precious metals. The Temple of the Moon had plates of silver on the walls, while the Temple of the Sun had gold lining the top of the walls. The conquistadors could not believe their eyes when they arrived in Cuzco. All of the Inca treasures were soon stolen and melted down. After our guided tour of Qurikanka, we went back inside and took a second pass through the complex on our own. There were a lot of Spanish Colonial works on display, including a large room of old paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. We spent the afternoon visiting the Cuzco cathedral, the Jesuit church and the Inka Museum. All of the churches in Peru are full of statues, paintings and displays of wealth. I guess all that display was meant to overwhelm the undereducated and superstitious people who lived back then, to convince them of the power and wisdom of the Church. After the Inca Museum, we walked up a steep road to the church of San Cristobal. Normally, this would be an easy walk, but this was our first day in Cuzco, at over 11,000', so we were still adjusting to the altitude. The guide books all suggest spending a few days at altitude before attempting the Inca Trail, and that is exactly what our plan called for. From San Cristobal, we got marvelous afternoon view looking over the city of Cuzco. The city buildings go up the sides of the surrounding mountains, everything is crammed together. The city looks old. We ate dinner at a restaurant called Cava Mora. We got chicken dinners, Coke Zeros, and then headed back to our hotel for another early bedtime. Tomorrow was the start of our Sacred Valley tour with Alpaca Expeditions. Panorama Photos
MapsThis is a captured Google image of the city of Cuzco. I have added blue highlights to show the points we visited, including the location of some of the nicest Inca walls. Our hotel is shown in red.
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Click on any thumbnail to begin the slide show at that photograph Day 2 Photos
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