Our driver was named Jose and we conversed in Spanish as we drove the 90 minutes back to Cusco. We learned that he worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and that he had three grown children, two girls and a boy. All of them were professionals and his son was working abroad with Shell. (Jose was delighted to hear that I had worked at Shell for many years, which prompted him to tell us all about his son’s various postings around the world.) And as happened many times in conversations with Latin Americans, he eventually asked us about our religion. We had astounded people before by telling them that we didn’t practice any religion, so this time we just said “Anglican” in response to Jose’s question in an effort to avoid any lengthy lectures on why we should be “believers” as had happened to us before. Jose told us that he had been raised in the Catholic church but had, in recent years, become disillusioned with the Catholicism and had converted to an evangelic church which he found much more joyous and more to his liking. These evangelic churches are starting to make quite an impact throughout Latin America…maybe the natives are finally getting back at the Spanish after all these years!! Anyway, we spent a very relaxed and friendly 90 minutes with Jose and when he eventually dropped us at our hotel, he said that if we wanted to go touring on the following Tuesday (this being Sunday), he had a day off and would be glad to drive us around…again for the price of his gas. We took his phone number and did in fact give him a call later.
We arrived at the Torre Dorada hotel which was located 3 or 4 kilometres from the centre of Cusco about noon and were delighted to find a very nice “residencia” run by a charming woman, Peggy, and her two brothers Oscar and Arturo. Peggy, who had worked for many years in Geneva with the World Bank, spoke perfect English and welcomed us warmly. She recommended that we have a quiet afternoon to help acclimatize to the altitude which was about 2000 ft higher than Ollantaytambo. So we sat and read and sipped coca tea till around 4:00.
The city of Cusco was founded by the Inca king Manco Capac who envisaged a city in the shape of a puma, the Inca animal representation of “earth”, the middle of the three tiers of the Inca cosmos. Some say that even today the city has the shape of a puma, as can be seen on a city map. Cusco became the richest and most powerful city of the Inca empire, though its brief time as the Inca capital came to an end in 1533 when the Spanish overran and destroyed much of Cusco, replacing the precise Inca construction with their own sloppy architecture. Much of this contrasting stonework can still be seen today in the streets of the city where buildings have been constructed on top on Inca foundations, still as solid as the day they were built. Today you can still see vestiges of the Inca civilization in the colorfully dressed women who still speak the ancient Quechua language, selling their wares in front of the Inca/Spanish Colonial structures around the Plaza de Armas.
The Torre Dorada provided transportation for its guests free of charge (“Just give us five minutes notice….”) so just after 4:00, Oscar got out the family car and drove us into town. During several trips with Oscar over the next few days, he told us about his grandfather who had been something of an explorer and early conservationist, who had spearheaded the formation of the Manu Biosphere Reserve in the jungles of Southern Peru. In fact there was a large book in the hotel lounge which documented this fascinating individual’s story.
That afternoon we toured the baroque-style cathedral in the Plaza de Armas, one of the most impressive catholic churches we’ve ever seen. The huge structure, which dated from the mid 16th century, is considered one of the most magnificent Spanish colonial churches in the Americas. The huge structure was full of priceless religious artifacts including an alter made of 3 tons of solid silver, numerous paintings and statues, and columns, walls and altars covered in gold leaf. There were many old paintings by native artists, some of them secretly mocking the Spanish conquerors and their religion. For example, one large painting of the last supper depicted the hills surrounding Cusco seen through windows, the faces of the disciples having a definite Mayan tinge to them and most interesting of all, a local specialty cuy (guinea pig) on a dish in front of Christ as the main dish at the supper. The face of Judas bore a very strong resemblance to that of Pizzaro;, the conqueror of Peru.
That afternoon we toured the baroque-style cathedral in the Plaza de Armas, one of the most impressive catholic churches we’ve ever seen. The huge structure, which dated from the mid 16th century, is considered one of the most magnificent Spanish colonial churches in the Americas. The huge structure was full of priceless religious artifacts including an alter made of 3 tons of solid silver, numerous paintings and statues, and columns, walls and altars covered in gold leaf. There were many old paintings by native artists, some of them secretly mocking the Spanish conquerors and their religion. For example, one large painting of the last supper depicted the hills surrounding Cusco seen through windows, the faces of the disciples having a definite Mayan tinge to them and most interesting of all, a local specialty cuy (guinea pig) on a dish in front of Christ as the main dish at the supper. The face of Judas bore a very strong resemblance to that of Pizzaro;, the conqueror of Peru.
The gold-covered walls and silver altars throughout the church were, of course, made from the gold and silver that had been plundered from the Incas during the conquest by the Spanish. The stolen treasure had been returned to Spain where it was melted down into silver ingots and gold leaf, and then returned to Peru to be transformed into the opulent decorations throughout the cathedral. We were continually appalled at the history of the Spanish conquerors who, in the name of god and country, so wantonly destroyed the incredible Inca civilization, plundered its riches and destroyed the extraordinary cities the Inca had built with such skill and boundless human toil. Their objective was to destroy the “idolatry” of these so-called pagans and convert them to Christianity. The Spanish used all means at their disposal to do this including of course killing many natives, torturing others in the Inquisition, and enticing conversion through whatever means they could. One example here in this very Cathedral demonstrated of the hypocrisy of the priests of the time. One section of the church was adorned with dozens of mirrors. Mirrors were considered a sin of vanity at that time, but the Spanish ignored this because the natives thought that mirrors were magic sent from the gods. The presence of mirrors in the church was a ploy by the Spanish to convince the Incas of the power and mystery of Christianity. And their success in this dreadful venture is certainly evident through most of Latin America today as Spanish is the main language and Catholicism the dominant religion. But what wonderful things have been lost to the world for ever as a result of this misguided onslaught can only be imagined.
We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon wandering the narrow streets around the Plaza de Armas and then found a wonderful eatery forsupper. Jack’s was run by a couple of Australians and the line-up at the door suggested excellent nosh to be had. And our 20 minute wait was well worth it, as the roast pumpkin soup (for Sue) and green pea soup for me, followed by a huge chicken and avocado sandwich which we shared, was some of the best food we had had since leaving Calgary. So with full bellies, we called Oscar for a return ride to the hotel and an early bed.
We had had a guide take us around the cathedral Sunday afternoon and we had arranged to meet her the next morning to take us to several of the historic sites in the hills above Cusco. Soledad was a very nice, soft-spoken woman of about 40 who met us in the main square and “chartered” a taxi for the morning to drive us around to four sites which contained various Inca ruins. Soledad supposedly was an official English-speaking guide but when she learned we were trying to learn Spanish, she conducted most of the tour in her native tongue, obviously making an effort to speak slowly with simple words and phrases. By this juncture in our three months away, we were actually getting quite proficient at understanding what was being said in Spanish. We were usually able to get the gist of what was being said even if we didn’t understand every word.
We visited four very interesting sites with the even-more-interesting names of Sacsayhauman, Qenko, Puka Pukara, and Tambonachay. Each site had a different layout and function, but generally they all once again confirmed the phenomenal architecture, engineering and construction of the Incas. Walls, temples, amphitheatres, aqueducts, burial grounds, pathways, etc. were built in the amazing fashion we’d seen elsewhere. But at these ancient towns and monuments, especially at Sacsayhauman, the magnitude of the construction was truly astounding. The ancient fortress of Sacsayhauman was once home to 10,000 inhabitants and was built of gigantic stones, some weighing as much as 250 tons, all precisely carved to fit seamlessly together. I just shook my head in wonder. And Soledad told us that no one really knows how they were able to maneuver these massive blocks, though some people suggest help by aliens. The “visitors from space” theorists also point to the Nasca Lines on the coast to the south west, which are long lines and huge figures cut into the coastal plain and only discernible for what they are, from high above. These lines, made famous in the book “Chariots of the Gods” are still a complete mystery as to why and how they were constructed. Maybe they are indeed a landing strip for alien craft!!
We visited four very interesting sites with the even-more-interesting names of Sacsayhauman, Qenko, Puka Pukara, and Tambonachay. Each site had a different layout and function, but generally they all once again confirmed the phenomenal architecture, engineering and construction of the Incas. Walls, temples, amphitheatres, aqueducts, burial grounds, pathways, etc. were built in the amazing fashion we’d seen elsewhere. But at these ancient towns and monuments, especially at Sacsayhauman, the magnitude of the construction was truly astounding. The ancient fortress of Sacsayhauman was once home to 10,000 inhabitants and was built of gigantic stones, some weighing as much as 250 tons, all precisely carved to fit seamlessly together. I just shook my head in wonder. And Soledad told us that no one really knows how they were able to maneuver these massive blocks, though some people suggest help by aliens. The “visitors from space” theorists also point to the Nasca Lines on the coast to the south west, which are long lines and huge figures cut into the coastal plain and only discernible for what they are, from high above. These lines, made famous in the book “Chariots of the Gods” are still a complete mystery as to why and how they were constructed. Maybe they are indeed a landing strip for alien craft!!
This was the Monday of Santa Samana – Holy Week, and we had heard about a major religious event that takes place here in the main square this one day every year. On our tour of the cathedral the day before, our guide had pointed out a large crucifix which had turned black from burning lamps in the church over the centuries. Apparently this crucifix (Nuestro seňor de los Temblores) was especially revered by the residents of Cusco because it had been brought out of the church during an earthquake in the 17th century and the earthquake had miraculously stopped, thus sparing the town from destruction. So every year on the Monday of Holy Week, the statue is again brought out of the church and paraded around the plaza and nearby streets during the afternoon and again in the evening when a benediction by the local clergy brings people out in their thousands. This is such a famous ceremony that it is broadcast on television throughout Peru. Following our morning tour, we found a second storey restaurant overlooking the square and had lunch while waiting for the procession to begin. And after a couple of false starts because of sudden downpours, a marching band struck up a slow march and the statute finally began is trip around the large square, hoisted aloft on a platform supported by 20 or 30 men. It is obviously quite an honor to carry the statue, as teams of men wearing uniforms or regalia from various clubs, bands or societies, traded off the carrying duties as the statue progressed. And as it moved, people situated in the balconies of the buildings surrounding the square showered down baskets full of red flower petals. The procession passed right below us giving us an excellent bird’s eye view of the colorful ceremony. Later that afternoon as the sun was setting, we again saw the statue entering the square, which was rapidly filling with thousands and thousands of the faithful who were gathering for the evening’s ceremonies. We didn’t want to be caught up in this throng so we left the square early and headed to a hotel a few blocks away where we arranged to meet Oscar for our ride home.
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Locals stake out a seat on the steps of the cathdral early in the day, awating the evening's festivities
The square just before the noon procession. A sudden downpour had emptied the plaza.
The balconies of buildings surrounding the plaza were decked out for the processon.
The procession was something of mass confusion, fut the statue moved along just the same
The crucifix is made of bamboo which has turned black over the years. The crucifix weighs only a few kilograms, the the silver pedistal requires the strong backs of 50 or 60 men
The square just before the noon procession. A sudden downpour had emptied the plaza.
The balconies of buildings surrounding the plaza were decked out for the processon.
The procession was something of mass confusion, fut the statue moved along just the same
The crucifix is made of bamboo which has turned black over the years. The crucifix weighs only a few kilograms, the the silver pedistal requires the strong backs of 50 or 60 men
At the hotel that evening, we met a young girl of perhaps 12 or 13 years of age who had just arrived with her parents from California. She wasn’t feeling too well, either because of the long journey from LA or the affects of the altitude. Anyway, she had stayed behind at the Torre Dorada while her parents went down to see the activity in the Plaza de Armas. We sat talking to her in the lounge while we ate a sandwich and sipped coca tea. She was a bright and interesting young lady, but I had quite a laugh to myself when at one point she leaned over towards me and asked if I ”would say something in Canadian?” I informed her with a smile that I was speaking “Canadian” and our young friend seemed quite intrigued that “Canadian” sounded just like “American”!!
The next day was our last full day in Cusco and I must admit, I was looking forward to heading to lower altitudes as my headaches had returned after a couple of days of respite. But we had one more excursion we wanted to make to a town called Pisac, an hour or so drive from Cusco. The previous evening we had asked our hostess, Peggy, to call Jose, the friendly fellow who had driven us from Ollanta and had volunteered to be our guide if we wanted to go to Pisac. Unfortunately she had not been able to get hold of him on his cell phone despite repeated attempts, so she tried again this morning and finally connected with him. Jose said that yes, he was still free and would be over to pick us up about 9:30.
When he arrived we asked him if he had been at the square the previous evening to see the procession which we had assumed he was because Peggy had been unable to get him on his cell phone. He looked at us as if we had almost insulted him and said that, no, he didn’t attend such ceremonies because he was “a Christian”. I guess he was implying that people of his abandoned religion, Catholicism, were not really Christians!! I had to smile to myself as again I thought how strange it is that each particular sect or religion seems to think they have the market cornered on salvation. No wonder we don’t have any affiliation!!
Jose asked us how we were doing .. “Como estan ustedes?”. Susan replied “muy bien, gracias, but I said, “Mi estómago esta un poco mal”…My stomach is not so good. He was very concerned and asked if I had tried muňa tea. When I replied that I hadn’t, he said that we should go straight to his house and he would make me some before we set off for Pisac. So he drove us on a circuitous route through the streets of Cusco until we pulled up in front of a small but neat house in a quite side street of what appeared to be a fairly affluent area of the city. He ushered us in and we sat down in his living room which wasn’t really much different than one would see in an older Canadian home. In a few minutes he brought out two steaming mugs with several green muňa leaves floating in the hot water. And then Jose’s wife made an appearance. She must have been doing something elsewhere in the house when we arrived, but she welcomed us with open arms … literally … (women in Peru and elsewhere in Latin America, embrace and exchange kisses on the cheek when first introduced, although it’s a handshake for the male). She was just as delightful as her husband and we chatted away as best we could as we sipped our very tasty tea, which, by the way, did seem to settle my stomach for the rest of the day. Before long we were exchanging addresses with promises to write and visit again some day. I took a couple of pictures of us sitting there together which I will have to send to them when I get a print made. This was just another example of the warmth and friendliness we experienced from locals throughout our travels, and encounters like this certainly added to the enjoyment of our trip.
The pre-Inca complex at Pisac
Jose was waiting for us and we hopped in the car for the short drive back to Pisac and a tour of its market. The market turned out to be a lot smaller than we had anticipated and had an air of calm and orderliness unusual in Latin American markets. Perhaps it was famous because of this, but it certainly didn’t have the hordes of people and masses of stalls than many markets did. We walked around for a few minutes and bought a few souvenirs including an alpaca "cholla"with the trademark earflaps on each side…popular I’m sure with snowboarders and travelers at high altitude.
The next day was our last full day in Cusco and I must admit, I was looking forward to heading to lower altitudes as my headaches had returned after a couple of days of respite. But we had one more excursion we wanted to make to a town called Pisac, an hour or so drive from Cusco. The previous evening we had asked our hostess, Peggy, to call Jose, the friendly fellow who had driven us from Ollanta and had volunteered to be our guide if we wanted to go to Pisac. Unfortunately she had not been able to get hold of him on his cell phone despite repeated attempts, so she tried again this morning and finally connected with him. Jose said that yes, he was still free and would be over to pick us up about 9:30.
When he arrived we asked him if he had been at the square the previous evening to see the procession which we had assumed he was because Peggy had been unable to get him on his cell phone. He looked at us as if we had almost insulted him and said that, no, he didn’t attend such ceremonies because he was “a Christian”. I guess he was implying that people of his abandoned religion, Catholicism, were not really Christians!! I had to smile to myself as again I thought how strange it is that each particular sect or religion seems to think they have the market cornered on salvation. No wonder we don’t have any affiliation!!
Jose asked us how we were doing .. “Como estan ustedes?”. Susan replied “muy bien, gracias, but I said, “Mi estómago esta un poco mal”…My stomach is not so good. He was very concerned and asked if I had tried muňa tea. When I replied that I hadn’t, he said that we should go straight to his house and he would make me some before we set off for Pisac. So he drove us on a circuitous route through the streets of Cusco until we pulled up in front of a small but neat house in a quite side street of what appeared to be a fairly affluent area of the city. He ushered us in and we sat down in his living room which wasn’t really much different than one would see in an older Canadian home. In a few minutes he brought out two steaming mugs with several green muňa leaves floating in the hot water. And then Jose’s wife made an appearance. She must have been doing something elsewhere in the house when we arrived, but she welcomed us with open arms … literally … (women in Peru and elsewhere in Latin America, embrace and exchange kisses on the cheek when first introduced, although it’s a handshake for the male). She was just as delightful as her husband and we chatted away as best we could as we sipped our very tasty tea, which, by the way, did seem to settle my stomach for the rest of the day. Before long we were exchanging addresses with promises to write and visit again some day. I took a couple of pictures of us sitting there together which I will have to send to them when I get a print made. This was just another example of the warmth and friendliness we experienced from locals throughout our travels, and encounters like this certainly added to the enjoyment of our trip.
With more hugs we were on our way. Jose was obviously very proud of his new car which we learned his son had bought for him. (He was equally proud of his children about whom he talked a lot as we drove along). He drove carefully along the winding roads climbing out of the city and we were soon making our way through the beautiful country side surrounding Cusco. The morning had turned out to be sunny and mild and we were treated to some spectacular scenery enroute to the small town of Pisac, famous for its thrice-weekly market and this town’s particular version of the ubiquitous Inca or pre-Inca ruins. (I must admit we were getting a little jaundiced about these ruins which, though amazing to see, were starting to become a bit much. I don’t know how many hundreds of stone steps we had climbed since arriving in Cusco 10 days before, but I know we were kind of thankful this was to be our last excursion to an Inca settlement.)
Jose bypassed the town and headed straight to the ruins, high on a hill overlooking Pisac. We were again several hundred feet higher than Cusco and even before heading out I could tell the lack of oxygen was going to make our trek a challenge. My head was pounding as we set out along the trail towards the ruins which archeologists believe had been a fort built like the one at Ollantaytambo, to defend against attacks of the Antis peoples to the south. The complex was very impressive with the usual massive stones forming terraces, irrigation canals, temples and an astronomical observatory. We wandered around for a while but at one point I had to sit down for a few minutes as I felt very faint. And our walk back to the parking lot along a narrow path cut in the side of the steep hillside, was very slow indeed.
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Jose bypassed the town and headed straight to the ruins, high on a hill overlooking Pisac. We were again several hundred feet higher than Cusco and even before heading out I could tell the lack of oxygen was going to make our trek a challenge. My head was pounding as we set out along the trail towards the ruins which archeologists believe had been a fort built like the one at Ollantaytambo, to defend against attacks of the Antis peoples to the south. The complex was very impressive with the usual massive stones forming terraces, irrigation canals, temples and an astronomical observatory. We wandered around for a while but at one point I had to sit down for a few minutes as I felt very faint. And our walk back to the parking lot along a narrow path cut in the side of the steep hillside, was very slow indeed.
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Scenery on the way to Pisac.
The pre-Inca complex at PisacJose was waiting for us and we hopped in the car for the short drive back to Pisac and a tour of its market. The market turned out to be a lot smaller than we had anticipated and had an air of calm and orderliness unusual in Latin American markets. Perhaps it was famous because of this, but it certainly didn’t have the hordes of people and masses of stalls than many markets did. We walked around for a few minutes and bought a few souvenirs including an alpaca "cholla"with the trademark earflaps on each side…popular I’m sure with snowboarders and travelers at high altitude. The market at Pisac
An old lady makes her way along the path in the Pisac market
Another spins alpaca yarn.
We invited Jose to join us for lunch at a restaurant across from the market and we had an excellent repast of quinoa soup with a main course of local trout grilled to perfection, all washed down with more muňa tea.
An old lady makes her way along the path in the Pisac market
Another spins alpaca yarn.We invited Jose to join us for lunch at a restaurant across from the market and we had an excellent repast of quinoa soup with a main course of local trout grilled to perfection, all washed down with more muňa tea.The weather was turning showery again (as it did each afternoon we were there) as we made our way back to Cusco. We asked Jose to drop us in the main square and we said a fond farewell to this friendly Peruvian who had treated us so kindly. One of the great aspects of travelling (as opposed to “touring”) is the opportunity to mingle with and get to know people living in various countries. Jose had given us an opportunity to learn about the lives of a, perhaps not typical as they were more affluent than most, but certainly, genuine Peruvian family. It is encounters such as this that I’m sure we will remember and cherish for years to come.
On our last afternoon in Cusco, we visited Qorkancha or the Temple to the Sun which had been built at the height of the Inca empire to serve as an astronomical observatory and a kind of Inca “Fort Knox” as the complex housed much of the realm’s gold treasures. Some 4000 priests and attendants had once lived within its gold plated walls. At the centre of the complex had sat a giant gold disc which reflected the rays of the sun and bathed the temple in light. Much of the Inca’s treasures had been turned over to the Spanish as ransom for their ruler who had been captured defending against the conquistadores. Alas, the Spanish conquerors had again demonstrated their perfidy as they had taken the gold and then beheaded the Inca leader anyway. Today the temple ruins and adjoining Dominican church combine to form a spectacular museum where we saw many wonderful artifacts and some extremely well preserved sections of the original Inca temple walls. A fitting last visit in this ancient capital of the Inca world.
The next day we were off to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We had originally planned to take the “first class” Peru Rail train but after our experience with Peru Rail in Macchu Picchu we decided to forego the $130 each for the trip and take a tourist bus instead. We had asked Peggy to make a reservation with a tourist company, so the next morning, Wed April 4th, we were up early and away with Oscar to the bus terminal by 7:00. And thus began our last week in Peru and the next fascinating leg of our travels.
On our last afternoon in Cusco, we visited Qorkancha or the Temple to the Sun which had been built at the height of the Inca empire to serve as an astronomical observatory and a kind of Inca “Fort Knox” as the complex housed much of the realm’s gold treasures. Some 4000 priests and attendants had once lived within its gold plated walls. At the centre of the complex had sat a giant gold disc which reflected the rays of the sun and bathed the temple in light. Much of the Inca’s treasures had been turned over to the Spanish as ransom for their ruler who had been captured defending against the conquistadores. Alas, the Spanish conquerors had again demonstrated their perfidy as they had taken the gold and then beheaded the Inca leader anyway. Today the temple ruins and adjoining Dominican church combine to form a spectacular museum where we saw many wonderful artifacts and some extremely well preserved sections of the original Inca temple walls. A fitting last visit in this ancient capital of the Inca world.
The next day we were off to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We had originally planned to take the “first class” Peru Rail train but after our experience with Peru Rail in Macchu Picchu we decided to forego the $130 each for the trip and take a tourist bus instead. We had asked Peggy to make a reservation with a tourist company, so the next morning, Wed April 4th, we were up early and away with Oscar to the bus terminal by 7:00. And thus began our last week in Peru and the next fascinating leg of our travels.
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