Visit Cusco in Peru

Visit Cusco in Peru By bus from [Foreign Language], we’ll reach Cusco, the cradle of the Inca Empire. Some etymologists say the name Cusco which means center of the earth. If it is not the center of the earth, this city hiding in the Saint Valley between the snowy peaks of the Andes, was at least the real center of the Inca Empire. According to the Spanish chronicler, Manko Qhapaq, the Inca has established Cusco around 1200. Many researchers think its city’s structure illustrates the Titi, the puma, the sacred animal of the Incas. The head of the animal is the ritual building block of the Sacsayhuaman. Its body is the city and its legs are the outer districts. In 1533, Spanish conquerors moved into the palaces and churches of the Inca rulers. As Pizarro chose Lima as the capital of the Spanish colony, the importance of Cusco decreased significantly. Several times the Inca’s besieged Cusco to chase away the Spanish. The first time was in 1534, the last in 1780, but none of their efforts were successful. The 17th century was a period of helping the towns to flourish. Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo, even donated his property to finance painter and sculptors who restored the churches and pulpit buildings of the town. The Cathedral is standing on the main square. Two small churches fit smoothly to its size. Allegedly the Inca [Foreign Language] stood on their place, but this fact is not yet been proven by excavations. Building on the three-door, Latin crucifix ground-plan church was begun in 1559. Its two sundials are named after the apostolic letter and the gospel. In front of the sundials, there are two towers bearing the same names. The bell, nearly 6,000 kilos in weight was found next to Titicaca Lake and is called Maria Angola. It was allegedly named after a black slave who fell into the furnace while working and was transformed into a bell. Ten side chapels belong to the main church. A 33-meter high main façade is in renaissance style while the main altar is in neo-classic. It’s carved from sidar wood and covered with gold sheets. The most significant cult object in the cathedral is the Black Christ sculpture. Throughout the centuries, the candles have covered the wooden work with black soot. The most famous sketch of carver artist, Juan Thomas Tuiro Tupac, made the pulpit which is also from sidar. The most famous among the nearly 400 paintings of the church is the Last Supper, the work of a local artist, Marcus Zapata. The remains of the bishops and archbishops of Cusco rest in the chapels. The Dominican church and monastery blocks together known as Coricancha, was the most important cult place of the Inca Empire. The meaning of “cancha” is golden district. Churches devoted to the main gods were arranged around an inner yard. This was the navel of the world, actually the center from where 42 lines started. Along these, we find 328 Huaka, consecrated places that are linked to religious beliefs. Several travel agencies offer their services in Cusco. Microbuses take us to any sacred place we desire. Of course, it’s impossible to visit all of them, so let’s prepare an itinerary of the places we’re most interested in. Help in making decisions can be found not only in internet, but also in travel books. On the western side of the area along the Safi River, a terraced garden extends where the plant and animal statues made of gold and silver were erected. Following colonization, Juan Pizarro donated the area to the first Cusco bishop, Monk Vicente Valverde, who was his close relative. Following this, the Dominicans brought Coricancha into their possession. The huge white statue of the first Inca, Manko Qhapaq, has been erected in Hua Zapata Park. Viva el Peru is the inscription on the foot of the sculpture. The Saint Valley is part of the valley of the Urubamba River between Pisac and Machu Picchu, which is the most spectacular area of the Andes. The valley with the sub-tropical climate at 2,000 meters is surrounded by snowy peaks. The entire area of Cusco belongs to the scared valley in which we find 11 ruin areas or still existing settlements. These can be visited using a ticket booklet which we could buy in hotels or travel agencies in Cusco. Sacsayhuaman, the biggest building block ever built by the Incas is located above Cusco. This is the head of the imaginary puma. In Kenco, there is a stone block carved like an altar which was probably used as an altar. Around it, there are Inca drawing carved in the cliffs. Certain sources identified Salaam Punku as Chuqui Marca, the big church. “Puca” means red; “pucara” means fortress. Whether the ruin area of Puca Pucara was a fortress or not, is unknown. The assumption seems to support that the high wall encircling the area and its location are of strategic importance. We find it in the road towards Pisac at an altitude of 3,750 meters. Tambomachay is a sanctuary built above three springs. In the Polygana wall built from huge stones, covens of unknown origin can be found. The ruins of Pisaq projects 600 meters above the similarly named settlement. It was probably once the private property of the Incas of Pachucutec. The small town of Chilca, prospers even today is standing on Inca ground. Ucay was once the property of Inca rulers. Urubamba settlement is located on the bank of the river of same name. The former Inca palace, Huayna Capac, stood there. The roadway crossing the Urubamba Valley ends at Ollantaytambo. Main attraction of which are six stones. All are brilliant standing monoliths. Their material is pink porphyry and almost nothing else remains from the big church. They were built to face the rising sun and there are strange knobs and boulders on them which are similar to other stone shaped by the Incas. For instance, those in Tihuanako, says film director Hugh Thompson, in his volume entitled the “White Rock and Exploration of the Inca Heartland”. The sites of the Saint Valle can also be visited on a one-day excursion as a rally departing from Cusco; but, we can also find pleasant accommodation in other places. The poncho making loom is a wooden frame made of smaller and larger roughly-worked sticks. One can be found in almost every household. Smaller versions as well with which ribbons, ropes, or cocoa bags are made. Spinning, weaving, wool bleaching, and coloring are the everyday tasks of the women; but, also the men are experts. “Here, everything is literally made by hand”, writes Maria Bonifer in her aforementioned travel book. She also quotes Argedas, the excellent scholar of the Andes and Peruvian culture. Legends and myths connect to every point to the mountain and valleys as they are inseparable from those historical events, which took place here during the Inca Empire centuries ago and later, sealed the fate of the prospering civilization. The residence of the area respect Cusco even today with superstitious fear and pangs of conscience. Therefore, the city is still and will remain one of Peru’s most important factors from geological, historical and mythological points of view. The atomic elements of the ancient civilizations of the Andes can still be discovered in the structure of the Peruvian society and the mixed culture developed during the conquest is from several points of view also the basis name of modern age society. Who were the Incas in reality, where did that handful of people come from to the area of Cusco, who would irrefutably rule several tribes until the arrival of the white man and who were able to establish a huge well-organized empire. Some scientists say that the Incas live in Chinchua tribe by the late descendants to the ones establishing the Tihuanako’s civilizations. Others say that Incas do not originate from any Andes tribes. Not even in the Quenchua whose language and traditions they considered as their own. Is it possible they arrived from the coastal region as unknown Barbara’s conquerors and forced their will on the people who were living here? Old chroniclers say that the Indians considered the Incas supernatural creatures originating from a different world.