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Published: December 4th 2007
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Cusco, once imperial seat of the mighty Incan empire, is now home to a population of 300,000 and is the bustling, jumping off point for tourists heading to the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and other Incan ruins in the region. At an altitude of 3,500 metres it was ironically found to have the highest levels of ultraviolet light on earth by a study in 2006 - interesting given the Incas fascination with the sun.
Rising to prominence in the 11th Century, Cusco became the capital of the burgeoning Incan empire and with its fertile valleys, abundant glacial water supply and central location it was the perfect spot to launch the massive expansion that was to come. It was Sapa Inca Pachacuti who began the transformation of Cusco from a small city-state into the mighty Incan empire that would evenutally engulf lands including modern day Peru, Ecuador, Chile and parts of Bolivia, Argentina and Colombia.
Highlights in Cusco included a tour of the Sun Temple, Coricancha, now forming the foundations of the Spanish era Santo Domingo church. The masonry skills for which the Inca were famous are very evident in this structure; built without mortar the huge stones interlock together
perfectly - they have also withstood the test of time and numerous earthquakes due to the Inca's use of trapazoidal arches in their construction. Examples of their astronomical skills are also on display in this temple as there is a hallway that only fills with light on the summer solstice on 22nd June each year (unfortunately this no longer works as the jesuits built a huge wall in front of it). The walls and altars of this temple were once plated in gold and the niches were filled with statues of solid gold and silver; unfortunately much of this wealth was used to pay the ransom of Atahualpa (turned out to be a waste of money) and the rest was stolen by the spanish.
Wandering around the Plaza de Armas it is easy to see only the surface layer of Cusco, ie. the spanish colonial architecture and the tourist stores, but look a little closer and the juxaposition of the "old" city on the new becomes obvious. The foundation of the Santo Domingo church is the foundation for Coricancha temple, the Plaza de Armas now occupies the same site that was the central square in Incan times, the convent
of Santa Catalina was once home to those Incan women chosen to serve in the temple of the sun; the list goes on and on.
Cusco was a great place for us to relax and rejuvenate - both before and after the Inca Trail (also was a nice shopping spot for Janice while I was on the trial) - I had the opportunity to get a couple of massages, we had a very nice dinner at a Tapas restaurant and had a good night out at the bars and pubs. Unfortunately, Cusco was also the site of several mishaps - one of our group was mugged coming home from the pub and another guy sprained his ankle walking out of a bar....hmmm...I think there's a theme here (luckily I went home early that night).
Outside Cusco, but within an easy day trip there are a number of Incan ruins, none of which compare in scale and grandeur to Machu Picchu, but which are definitely worth taking the time to see. One of our side trips included a horse riding excursion to the ruins of Qenko, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay and Sacsayhuaman.
The site of Qenko has an interesting
feature the Incas used for divination - there is a small hillock with two zig-zagging trenches carved into the stone. In Incan times, the high priest would fill the depression at the top with fresh Llama blood (from the sacrifice table below) and whether the flow of blood went right or left would tell them if the crop season was going to be good or bad.
Horse riding around the ruins was a relaxing way to see the countryside - along the way we stopped at a number of sites that used to be "way stations" for the messengers running the Inca Trail; these stations were located about 20 kilometres apart and would serve as relay stations so that messages could be transmitted swiftly across the empire (the Inca Trail once covered some 30,000 kilometres).
At the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, we spotted another interesting Incan architectural feature - their habit of designing walls with rocks that would resemble various animals - essentially grafitti built into the rock (see picture with guinea pig below).
The Sacred Valley, the fertile floodplain between the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, was the agricultural heart of the Incan Empire and served as
its "breadbox" producing wheat, corn, potatoes and beans that would be transported and consumed throughout the empire. It was also a favourite summer retreat of the Incan nobility, many of whom kept holiday homes in the area to get away from the hustle and bustle of ancient Cusco.
Our first stop (after takingthe obligatory "Sacred Valley" shot) was the village and ruins at Pisac. Pisac is most famous for its markets, which unfortunately were not on the day we went, but the ruins in the hills above the village are also amazing. The hills surrounding the site are also home to an Incan cemetery - caves in which the Incan buried their dead dot the mountainside; some of them are so inaccessible that the bones remain in their final resting place to this day.
Next stop was the village of Ollantaytambo, named after the most famous of the Incan generals Ollantay - who served during the reign of Pachacutec (the great expander). The town is also the closest point to Kilometre 82, the start of the Inca Trail, and is the last place where hikers can get a decent cup of coffee, stock up on Coca toffees, etc.
Ollantaytambo is remarkably well preserved and maintains the same layout the town had during ancient times.
The fortress above Ollantaytambo began construction during the reign of Pachacutec, but was never finished for unknown reasons. Consequently there are huge slabs of pink granite in various stages of finish providing great examples of how the Inca builders carved and shaped the granite to meet their purpose. Also of interest is the fact that the granite used had to be transported from a quarry on the other side of the valley, at least a couple of miles away. The ramps used to move the slabs down from the quarry, across the valley and then up the mountain to the fortress are still visible.
Leaving the Sacred Valley we headed back to Cusco, stopping in at a traditional commuinity to see the local weaving talent on the way. This was also the village where our porters from the Inca Trail lived - thank god for those porters!!
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Will Elston
non-member comment
BBC on the move
Hi Dan and Janice, Great Blog and summary overview. I will share with my family at christmas. This effort that you have put in here in your blog really shows that you really are living out a dream adventure. I hope to share these types of adventures with Landen (5years old) as he grows into a little man..........in the mean time the local whistler mountains and Vancouver Rockies will have to suffice our appetite. Great meeting you both and will enjoy vicariously through the blog. I did get one of my memory chips which had about 400 photos of the trip but pretty much anything after Inca Trial was lost in the camera on the aerocondor plane......shit. I will stay in touch and safe travels. Will