Peru Flashback Part I: Cusco

While we’ve admittedly been busy, Emily kindly reminded me the other day that we never finished our Peru posts: “I directed people to your web site to read about the trip, so it’d be good if you actually had the photos up.”  Touché.  So even though we’re now in Africa, I’ll try to put my South America hat on every now and then, so I can do justice to our time there.

Our second side trip (after Colca) was to the Cusco area.  As you can see below, Arequipa—where Emily was living—is in the southeast of the country, and Cusco is directly north of it.  (Both cities are in provinces of the same name, which can be a little confusing when you first look at the map.) 

Cusco was the capital of Tahuatinsuyo, the Inca Empire, and the Spanish took it over after their defeat of the emperor, Atahualpa.  The Spanish architecture erased all sign of the Incas, and the churches (of which there are a huge number in the city) still dominate the skyline.  This is the Jesuit church on the Plaza de Armas (main square). 
As much as I wanted to dislike the Spanish style, given their brutal history in the area, I have to admit that their buildings are gorgeous. 
What I said about the disappearance of any trace of Incan architecture in the city held true until the 1950s, when there was a massive earthquake in the region.  When the tremors stopped, many of the Spanish buildings had been destroyed, and an entire system of Incan walls were revealed—completely intact and unharmed by the earthquake because of their flawless construction.  You can see the juxtaposition of styles in this photo of Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun).  The Temple was an important site for the Incas…so of course the Spanish built a big church on top of it.  After the earthquake, though, many parts of the original temple became visible—the dark gray wall here, for example. 
It’s crazy to be walking down a random alley and see original Incan walls peeking out from the sides of bookstores and restaurants.  I never quite got used to it.   

Later in the day, we took a tour of the surrounding hills.  The first stop was the fortress of Saqsaywaman, which towers over the city. 
In a reversal of the usual narrative, the Spanish thought the complex was built by gods because it was so daunting, and they assumed it would have been impossible for the Incas to transport the enormous stones.  (Just in case, though, they destroyed much of it and took some of the smaller stones for their own use.) 
While we were in Peru, I was reading Hugh Thompson’s “The White Rock,” and one of the most fascinating sections described a battle between the Incas and the Spanish at Saqsaywaman.  It was about three years after the Spanish had killed Atahualpa and installed a puppet regime with his brother Manco.  Manco had seemed weak and obedient, but he was secretly rallying his troops.  While many of the conquistadors were away on an exploration, he laid siege to the city from this fortress.  They would have triumphed if not for a surprise attack at the end by the Spanish.  When one of the Incan generals realized they were lost, he leapt to his death from the top of one of the lookout points; dozens of other soldiers followed, rather than live under Spanish rule.  Pretty incredible. 
The Incas were famous for fitting their rocks together perfectly without mortar, and you can see that to an extent in this photo.  (We really wanted to walk around Saqsaywaman longer, but our tour guide hurried us along.) 
At one point, we got out at an overlook and had a great view of the city below.  Here you can see the back of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, with the same Jesuit church from an earlier photo to the left. 
The valley where the city was built is surrounded by imposing mountains—very picturesque. 

Our last stop before heading back to the city was the ruins of Tambomachay. 
The fountains in this spot still work after all these centuries, and it has a tranquil feel to it. 
After an amazing dinner in downtown Cusco (we had outstanding food the whole trip!), we wandered back to the square.  There was some sort of festival going on (not unusual according to Emily), and it was fun to see the buildings all lit up at night. 
In fact, Brian just swooned at the sight of this beautiful fountain. :) 
All in all, Cusco had a very different feel than Arequipa, although we enjoyed both cities very much.  (It’s funny to see these pictures of us wearing scarves and mittens as I sit here on a warm Cameroonian day!)  We’ll finish the other posts soon…