July 29---Cusco

Today we had to leave our lodge, Inkaterra, which welcomed and warmed us for the last two days. We took a boat ride on Madre de Dios river, stopped by at the butterfly farm and took the plane to Cusco. What a change in scenery!

Cusco is a vibrant city full of tourists and locals who try to sell their wares to them. We had a short tour of Cusco with our new guide, Edy. We visited the old sacred Inka site which was destroyed by the Spanish and on top of it a Catholic church was built. Only a strong earthquake of 1951 allowed scientists to discover, underneath plastered wall, the original Inka stonework. According to descriptions made by Pizarro's soldiers, the walls of Inka temples were covered by gold and silver with many offerings of precious stones and metal objects in the niches. The stonework itself is amazing! Inka polished the stones so it is impossible to put a knife between them and often you can't even feel where the stones are connected when you touch them.

The other signature style of the Inka's architechture are the trapezoidal arches and inward tilting walls. We saw an amazing 14 angle stone that looks as if it is being bent. The ruins that we saw belong to former temples of the Moon, the Sun, the Stars, the Rainbow and the Thunder. According to early descriptions, there was a garden where all the trees, bushes and animals were made of gold and silver. After the Spanish invasion, all the riches of the Incas were either sent to Spain or used as rich decorations for Catholic churches and cathedrals.

We had a chance to visit the most important cathedral in Cusco with several richly decorated chapels and sacristy. Our guide pointed out that local people often view Christian symbols as representations of old Inka gods. For example, the statue of the Virgin Mary could be interpreted as a representation of Pachamama, Mother Earth, and the figure of the black Jesus, as an image of Wizacocha, god of earthquakes.

By the end of the tour, we felt overwhelmed with information. Some of use spent the rest of the evening shopping at the bustling Plaza de Armas, but many returned to the hotel early to pack and to get ready for another early morning wake up at 4:00 a.m. to go to Machu Picchu. A big day tomorrow!

Galina
Wooster School
Danbury, CT