DAY SIX
sunday, June 7, 2015
the city of cusco, saqsaywaman, lunch with a family, llamas!
We started today by visiting the main central square of Cusco, La Plaza de Armas. It’s been the heart of the city since the Inca Empire, when the square was called Huacaypata.
Every Sunday, a military escort will raise Cusco’s flag, along with the Peruvian national flag, to the sound of a trumpet. Throughout June, the people of Cusco celebrate the end of the rainy season by flying the rainbow flag of Tawantinsuyo, the colors of which represent the contemporary Cusco and its connection to the Inca Empire.
Incidentally, this rainbow flag is everywhere in Peru. Probably like many visitors I assumed it was in celebration of LGBT Pride (especially since it was June), but nope!
Apparently there are a lot of different celebrations and parades in this Plaza in June, and sure enough we were there while a military parade was going on, so we stopped to watch the festivities for a while.
At the center of the Square is this statue of the most prominent Inca king, Pachacutec
After watching the parade, we visited a beautiful cathedral that was right on the square, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin (aka Cusco Cathedral). We weren’t allowed to take photos inside (killing me, it was so elaborate!) so all of those are pulled from the internet.
Architecture aside, the whole interior was filled with gladiolas and other colorful flowers. Really jaw-dropping!
Exterior of the Cathedral
Leaving the Plaza, we headed to the Inca military fortress Saqsaywaman, the site of a major battle with the Spanish in 1536. The ruins are a perfect example of Inca architectural skills since it’s made of enormous carved limestone boulders (some weighing more than 300 tons) that were fit together perfectly without the use of mortar!
These stones are among the largest used in any building in Precolumbian America, and display a precision of fitting that is unmatched in the Americas. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of them. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward have puzzled scientists for decades.
I will also always remember this as the place I lost my lens cap haha. Hope the llamas enjoyed a new toy.
Really though, look at the size of those stones and how perfectly they fit together. How did they do that?!
On the site was a pack of llamas and alpacas, so we of course had to go spend some time with them!
Leaving Saqsaywaman, we had the pleasure of dividing into two groups and visiting the home of a local Cusco family. They told us their story, and served a wonderful homemade meal of soup, meat, and vegetables, including roasted guinea pig and a stewed black corn pudding.
After the meal, we shared some gifts with them that we had each brought from our hometowns. My parents and the Farbers had brought Tampa Bay Bucs and Lightning t-shirts, and I brought a postcard packet of NYC skyscrapers along with a SpongeBob baseball mitt (I worked at Nickelodeon at the time). So nice to connect with some locals in this way!
This afternoon was free to do whatever we wanted, and many of us opted to do a walking tour of Cusco with Francisco. The city itself is so photogenic, from the narrow alleyways and steps to the views of houses that climb up the mountains in the distance.
My mom loves collecting little boxes and dishes (specifically that have perfectly or uniquely-fitting lids) so was excited to run into this woman who carved a gourd bowl for us right on the street.
Cusco’s famous 12-Angled Stone. Such a feat of engineering by the Incas!
Tonight was a free night with dinner on our own. My parents and the Farbers went out, but I chose to enjoy a night in the hotel with room service and the Tony Awards. No complaints!