peru-8-cuzco-sacred-valley

66
Plazoleta
Limacpampa
Av Tullumayo
Av El Sol
27
6#
E
See Central Cuzco
Map (p198)
6
6
29
#
# þ 19
Av Huáscar
Waterfall
Monument
#á 17
# þ
E
‚
#e 0 0 0.1 miles
200 m
F
Estadio
Universitario
Av Garcilaso
Av de la Cultura
Manco Inca
Pachacutec
3
#
Huayna Cápac
Manco Cápac
#ï
23
To Transportes
Siwar (650m) 2
To Inka Express (500m);
Terminal Terrestre (500m);
Turismo Mer (500m);
El Molino (700m);
Airport (2km)
To Hospital
Regional 1
(600m)
into a grand colonial residence and later
became the archbishop’s palace. The beautiful
mansion is now home to a religious-art
collection notable for the accuracy of its period
detail, and especially its insight into the
interaction of indigenous peoples with the
Spanish conquistadors.
There are also some impressive ceilings
and colonial-style tile work that’s not original,
having been replaced during the 1940s.
SAN BLAS
Known as the artists’ neighborhood, San
Blas is nestled on a steep hillside next to
the center. With classic architecture, its signature
blue doors and narrow passageways
without cars, it has become a hip part of
town. As a result, it is full of restaurants, watering
holes and shops.
Iglesia de San Blas
CHURCH
(Map p198; Plaza San Blas; admission S15 or with
boleto religioso; h10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun)
This simple adobe church is comparatively
small, but you can’t help but be awed by the
baroque, gold-leaf principal altar. The exquisitely
carved pulpit, made from a single tree
trunk, has been called the finest example of
colonial wood carving in the Americas.
Legend claims that its creator was an indigenous
man who miraculously recovered
F
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3
from a deadly disease and subsequently
dedicated his life to carving this pulpit for
the church. Supposedly, his skull is nestled
in the topmost part of the carving. In reality,
no one is certain of the identity of either the
skull or the woodcarver.
AVENIDA EL SOL & DOWNHILL
Museo de Arte Popular
MUSEUM
(Map p198; Basement, Av El Sol 103; admission
with boleto turístico; h9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 8am-
1pm Sun) Winning entries in Cuzco’s annual
Popular Art Competition are displayed in
this engaging museum. This is where the
artisans and artists of San Blas showcase
their talents in styles ranging from high art
to cheeky, offering a fascinating, humorous
take on ordinary life amid the pomp and circumstance
of a once-grandiose culture.
Small-scale ceramic models depict
drunken debauchery in the picantería (local
restaurant), torture in the dentist’s chair,
carnage in the butcher shop, and even a
caesarean section. There’s also a display of
photographs, many by renowned local photographer
Martín Chambi, of Cuzco from
the 1900s to the 1950s, including striking
images of the aftermath of the 1950 earthquake
in familiar streets.
Qorikancha
RUIN
(Map p198; Plazoleta Santo Domingo; admission
S10; h8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)
If you visit only one site in Cuzco, make it
these Inca ruins, which form the base of
the colonial church and convent of Santo
Domingo. Qorikancha was once the richest
temple in the Inca empire; all that remains
today is the masterful stonework.
In Inca times, Qorikancha (Quechua for
‘Golden Courtyard’) was literally covered
with gold. The temple walls were lined with
some 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing
about 2kg. There were life-sized gold and
silver replicas of corn, which were ceremonially
‘planted’ in agricultural rituals. Also
reported were solid-gold treasures such as
altars, llamas and babies, as well as a replica
of the sun, which was lost. But within
months of the arrival of the first conquistadors,
this incredible wealth had all been
looted and melted down.
Various other religious rites took place
in the temple. It is said that the mummified
bodies of several previous incas (kings)
were kept here, brought out into the sunlight
each day and offered food and drink,
which was then ritually burnt. Qorikancha
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Cuzco & the Sacred Valley S C I u G zC H T O S