Qoricancha

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September 8th 2009

Published: September 9th 2009

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Entrance to Convento de Santo Domingo

Friday 08/28/09 we got up as late as we could to still be able to get breakfast at the Inkarri’s café. Then, we walked over to the Qoricancha, or Gold Courtyard, the most important Inca temple in Cuzco, dedicated to the adoration of the supreme Inca god, the Inti (Sun). Qoricancha is also said to have been the Inca’s main residence (Cuzco was the capital of the Inca Empire), as the Inca was a demi-god. Cuzco, or Qosqo, means “The navel of the world” and Qoricancha is at its center. Both are World Heritage sites.

The Incas were very knowledgeable in regards to the natural rhythms of nature: Sunrise, sunset, solstice, seasons. They studied the sun, the moon, the stars. They incorporated this cosmology into their religious beliefs. Within Qoricancha, there were individual temples dedicated to the moon, the rainbow, and the thunder. In Inca times, the walls of the Qoricancha were covered in gold, which represented the sweat of the sun, or in silver, the tears of the moon. The stones have dimples, to better hold the sheets of precious metal as they were pounded onto their surfaces. Niches and altars housed gold and silver figures. There were also

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terraces and gardens. One can only imagine all the treasures that the original building held during Inca times!

The temple was ransacked by the Conquistadors, who took the treasures, melted them for the precious metals, and split the loot among themselves, sending one fifth the Spanish King and Queen. As it was customary during the conquest, Qoricancha was destroyed, or dismantled at best; the Inca stones were then used to build (part of) the Convento de Santo Domingo on and around Qoricancha; you can see the dimpled Inca stones on the Spanish walls. The site is now called Qoricancha y Convento de Santo Domingo and houses art from Colonial times as well as seasonal contemporary art exhibits.

After Qoricancha, we visited Museo Historico Nacional de Cuzco (National Historic Museum of Cuzco) located in the home where “el Inca” Garcilaso de La Vega was born and lived through early adulthood in the mid 1500s. Garcilaso, whose father was a Conquistador and whose mother belonged to the royal Inca family, was a historian and author of “Comentarios Reales de los Incas,” an account of Inca life and the Spanish conquest, based on the stories he heard as a child from

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Inside Qoricancha, Inca wall.

his mother’s family. His stories are said to be the most accurate account, from an Inca perspective, of Inca life before the conquest. Some argue, though, that because he heard the stories as a child but didn’t pen them until he was in his 50s, he renders an idealized account. Nevertheless, his “Comentarios” are invaluable, as the Incas didn’t know writing and the Spanish historians rarely documented Inca stories.

After the museum, we were out of time to visit any other places, as it was almost 5pm. Actually, Cathy was happy to not have to go to another museum and Ben was OK with what he had seen so far. We walked over to the Plaza de Armas, took some pictures, and started searching for a place to have dinner. We walked around until we decided to go back to El Meson de Don Tomas (where Ben had cuy). This time, Ben and I split a Papa rellena (Mushed potato stuffed with ground beef, onions, hard boiled egg, olives, raisins)—this one came topped with Huancaina sauce, Cathy had Ravioli, Ben had a Steak, and I had Seco de Cordero (Lamb stew cooked in cilantro sauce—this one came served with

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Qoricancha--these walls, like most in the temple, used to be covered in gold and silver.

yucca fritters). To drink, we were hooked on Chicha morada. We like this restaurant; on both occasions the food was really good and the staff very attentive. I recommend it.

After dinner, we took our last walk around the center of Cuzco and went to the hotel to pack and get a good night sleep. The next day, we were heading back to Lima for the last leg of our trip.

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