Cusco City

Cusco was built upon the Inca foundations.  Consequently, the half-bottom of its buildings are Inca stones, and the upper-half are of Spanish construction.  This union goes beyond its arquitecture.  The two cultures were also merged, and one can enjoy the product of this merger today.  The city is like a trip to the past, with cobblestoned, steep, and narrow up-hill streets with two-feet wide sidewalks.  The main plaza remains as the gathering place for locals and visitors, and its massive cathedrals (there are three in the plaza alone) shows the strong Spanish influence in the city.

12 Angles Stone

This stone is part of an outside wall of the Museum of Religious Art. The wall faces Hatunrumiyoc street which is a continuation of Cuesta San Blas street, the street that we would walk up and down to go from La Pension Alemana to the main plaza.

Artisans gather here at night to sell their crafts. 

Cusco Wall

This is a picture of a typical Cusco wall.  Notice how the foundation is Inca, and the upper-half is Spanish.

Cusco Art

The Cusco School of Art is a well recognized school in Peru.  We were able to admire some of this art in museums and artisans' markets.

Their paintings cover religious motifs.  One of the most popular themes is of angels.  Some of the trademarks of these paintings are the XVIII century French clothing, the intricate lace details, and the use of gold-paint highlights. 

La Pension Alemana

This pension rocks!!  We were so many, that we had la pension to ourselves.  Harwood floors, each bedroom had its own bathroom, Llama wool blankets (they are heavy), fireplace, home-made breakfast with fresh squeezed OJ every morning (coming from the States, this was a real treat).

The staff from la pension arranged all our travel and touristic needs, they treated us like kings!

Check out their site:

http://www.cuzco-stay.de/english.htm 

Oh, that's Mike in the picture. 

Cusco Cybercafe

Now this is what Cusco is all about!  When history meets modern technology, you get places like this one.  In the neighborhood of San Blas, where we stayed, there is a big Internet sign; however, the actual place is hard to find, because is inside an old building that one would not suspect that it was full of computers.

Heather is posing with our dinner for the night, rotisserie chicken (very tasty). 

Sacsayhuaman Fortress

John is standing in front of one of the fortress' wall.  This particular rock weights about 300 tons.  According to our guide, the closest stone quarry is about 15 kilometers, and the Incas did not use the wheel.  So somehow they drag this huge boulders, but how?

Baby Llama

Heather and Sergio posing with a local and her baby llama.  We were lucky and were able to enjoy awesome weather throughout our stay in Cusco.

Sacsayhuaman Fortress

Sergio is posing with another of the huge rocks that form part of the fortress.  Here, he is sick as a dog.  Altitude sickness got a hold of him for about two days.

Little Girl

Sergio posing with a very tiny local girl from the Sacred Valley.  She was very cute and polite.