The bus dropped us off super early in Cusco- at about 5:15am. The bus can't make it through the windy, narrow streets of Cusco, so they dropped us off just slightly outside of the more downtown area and shipped us all off to our hotels via cab (us) or minivan.
Todd thought ahead (having traveled to Iceland previously where the flights land at 4:30am) to get us a hotel room at our hotel for the night before we arrived. We were attempting to sleep on a bus, but we knew we wouldn't sleep great. And we did NOT. The bus ride from Puno to Cusco was SO incredibly bumpy and we hardly slept at all. So when we arrived very early in the morning, we were so happy to have a room that was ready and waiting for us to nap in!
And we napped for about 2.5 hours before we got up, had some breakfast, "checked out" (because we would check in again later that day for a different room, and then headed out into the city of Cusco. Isn't our hotel so pretty?
We headed out into the city of Cusco, elevation 11,152 feet.
Not far from our hotel, we spotted the 12 angled stone, which is an architectural marvel since the Incas laid the six ton rock here 700 years ago AND since - as you can see - there is no mortar, no glue, no concrete - nothing holding this and all of the other stones together. You'll also notice there are smaller stones beneath the larger ones, which the Incas believed helped stabilize the buildings during earthquakes. This building was originally the Palace of Inca Roca (the 6th emperor of the Inca dynasty) but they eventually tore the original palace down and it became the Archbishop's Palace, before it was turned into the Museum of Religious Art in the 1960s.
There are a lot of guys hanging around this area offering to tell you the history of the stone - you can politely say no thank you, or you can listen to the history and give them a few bucks. Most of them are trying to sell paintings (some of their own, some not). We actually bought one from a guy named Jorge because we have a wall of very colorful paintings from our travels in our living room, and we bought a really pretty and colorful painting from him to add to the collection!
Eventually, you pop out into the Plaza de Armas!
Interestingly, this area used to be a swamp, until they piped and covered the Saphy River. About 4 or 5 blocks northwest of here (in the direction we are looking in the above picture), you'll find the entrance to the piped Saphy River. No one knows the Incan name of this square during their reign, but it was known as a place of meditation, and even held spiritual importance for the people who preceded them.
Todd and I both noted that Cusco was very different from the other places we had visited. They actually had... roofs!? That were intact!?
The Plaza de Armas was very busy on this random Tuesday under a cumulus cloud sky and in front of the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús.
The nearby Cusco Cathedral was open, and we were able to go in with a guide who gave us a great tour of the historic building. But... no pictures inside, of course. Construction began around 1559 and it took almost 100 years to complete. There are three naves in this cathedral, all open to each other. The central one is where mass usually takes place, but the other two can be used for weddings or funerals. It's VERY beautiful inside - lots of gold!
(Photo from cuscoperu.com since you cannot take pictures in the Cathedral).
One of the most important features of the Cusco Cathedral is the Señor de los Temblores, or the Lord of the Earthquakes. He is unique in that years of candles, smoke and incense in the church have turned his skin darker. In 1650, there was an earthquake that damaged a lot of the city. Fearing aftershocks, people brought the statue into the streets in a processional - and in doing so, the aftershocks stopped. In 1720, there was a plague that hit the city of Cusco, so again... they brought the Señor de los Temblores statue out in a processional around the city and the plague ended. Now, every Holy Monday, they bring him out and march him around the streets while people sing and pray.
There was a little stage with people singing and dancing in the middle of the Plaza de Armas, so we stopped to watch for a while.
Pachacuti sits atop of the fountain in the Plaza de Armas. Many believe Machu Picchu was built for him!
And then we went over to the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, which, like the Cathedral nearby was built on top of an Inca palace. It was built in 1576 (400 years before I was built!) and although it was badly damaged in the 1650 earthquake, it was rebuilt by 1673. It remained a Jesuit church until the Jesuits left in 1767.
Right here in the Plaza de Armas in front of the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús is the tomb of Tupac Amaru II. Now, many of you have probably heard of Tupac Shakur, who was named after this famed Peruvian rebel. Tupac Amaru I was the last Incan ruler, and his descendent, Tupac Amaru II led a rebellion against Spanish reforms that were designed to benefit the Spaniards and oppress the native population. Ultimately, he was executed right here in this square in 1781, AND he was forced to watch his wife and eldest son be executed before his own death. His rebellion was unsuccessful but was widely thought to be the initial spark to the series of wars that led to Peruvian Independence.
We went up into the tower at the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús and the view was beautiful!
This is the other side of the Plaza de Armas. That entire row of buildings on the left used to actually be a part of the Plaza here, but the chief magistrate had buildings constructed here in 1555. You can see the grave of Tupac Amaru II here, too.
Like most towers here, the stairway was steep enough to require us to go down backwards!
Todd's sister will never let him live down the fact that he ate a relative of the family pet when we were in Lima!
It had been a long trip so far, and we had yet to visit an Irish pub (something we almost always do on our trips!) so we finally found one and stopped in for a pint and some lunch.
And then, feeling brave, we decided to tackle this hill so we could go up to the San Blas neighborhood.
Cusco has many hills, much to the detriment of the tourists who aren't used to the elevation. But he's still smiling here so it can't be that bad, right?
Thankfully at the top of the first hill, we found the Plaza San Blas, which is relatively flat, and has a pretty church here called the Iglesia de San Blas that was built in the mid 1500s. It's the oldest parish in Cusco!
You did it! Congratulations! Best cuy in town!
The Plaza is surrounded by the church, a fountain, and a bunch of art galleries.
We had to stop and sit down. This elevation is so brutal. We had been taking our altitude sickness meds (absolutely recommended!) so we didn't feel BAD... we just got exhausted pretty quickly. Acclimatization occurs somewhere between 3-5 days and this was our fourth full day and we definitely had NOT acclimatized yet!
There's a pretty fountain in the Plaza San Blas, apparently as a tribute to the fact that there were a few natural springs around here at one time.
There's a very cool artist vibe in this part of town.
What. You want us to go up more stairs? (But really, how pretty is this area?)
There aren't many people up here, and definitely not many tourists. Maybe the stairs scared them away! But the views are incredible and well worth the trouble.
We had to stop like... every 8 steps. This is Todd's face that says "this is totally ridiculous, I am a guy who goes to CrossFit regularly, I should be able to run up these stairs easily but I can't!"
We made it to the Mirador de San Blas! And what a view! Totally worth it. There are benches up here where you can stop to catch your breath (and there are also a couple of bars!)
Ok, I've rested a bit and now I'm ready to take a real selfie!
The views face south-southwest and on one of the mountains in the distance, you can see they have dug into the landscape "Viva El Peru Glorioso" or "Long Live Glorious Peru!"
You can also see the Cristo Blanco statue from the Mirador de San Blas. This statue from 1945 sits above the city of Cuzco. While not even close to the height of Christ the Redeemer (26 feet vs. 98 feet), this was a gift from the Arab-Palestinian community. The location of Cristo Blanco is on Pukamoqo, which was a hill that was sacred to the Incas.
Ohhhh, this is why I can't breathe.
We continued to stroll through the San Blas neighborhood, when we found the 7 Diablitos, or 7 Little Devils, which is a cool little street, full of great art.
It was originally an area where lovers would visit in secret, hiding from friends and family. When a few weeks later they learned they were pregnant, people began to believe that the area was cursed!
The murals are so colorful and beautiful. And great news... there will NOT be any new babies in this Bailey household after our visit!
I had so many thoughts about this staircase. First - awww look at the dogs! Second - I cannot even imagine having to walk up MORE STAIRS today. I would literally pass out.
There are awesome views everywhere in San Blas!
When Todd and I had been sitting down on a bench at the Mirador de San Blas, this kid was sitting on the next bench over from us. Look at his hoodie! UMass Dartmouth! How random to see someone wearing that here in Cusco, Peru!
And WHY does the sky look so dark, Todd?
I don't KNOW, Colleen! Just kidding, we know why. It started raining... right before it started hailing on us. It actually was pelting me pretty good (ouch!) so we ducked into this bar for a drink while we waited for it to clear up!
But we didn't wait too long because we had an appointment with Yapa Explorers about our trip to Machu Picchu the next day. I cannot rate this company highly enough (read the post about Machu Picchu to learn why!). I also loved this map of many of the places we visited on our trip!
We went out and grabbed some dinner after this before heading back to the hotel but we were exhausted and didn't take any pictures!
Up next, Machu Picchu!
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