CITY TOUR CUSCO

Description

1.- Cusco Cathedral.

This is the first place we will visit. It was built between the years 1560 and 1664. It is located in the main square of Cusco, and the construction zone was on top of the palace of Wiracocha. Its façade consists of Latin American Baroque style whilst its interior is decorated with beautiful canvasses, paintings, and altars carved from cedar wood made by the School of Cuscanian Art.

2.- Qoricancha, Temple of the sun.

Our next stop is known also as the Saint Domingo Convent. This building is one of the largest expressions of Inca architecture and engineering. On parts of the external façade, you can appreciate both Incan and colonial construction. Inside, we can also appreciate incredibly artistic, Biblical paintings of the life of Saint Domingo.

3.- Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Complex.

Our third stop is located on the outskirts of the majestic city of Cusco. From the entrance and strategic construction on a mountainside where one can view the entirety of Cusco situated just below, one must admire not only the ingenuity of its location but also the Inca’s amazing ability to create this famous site from gigantic megaliths. They also designed the architecture to form a zigzag.

4.- Qenqo Archaeological Complex.

A fourth stop is a place that was clearly used for religious and ceremonial purposes with respect to Mother Earth. Found on the exterior is a semicircular amphitheater created from trapezoidal niches and the remains of what appeared to be an approximately 6-meter tall puma-shaped monolith.

5.- Pucapucara Archaeological Complex.

The translation of the name of our fifth place to visit is “the Red Fortress” because the calcareous stones that were used for the construction acquired the reddish coloring of the terrain. Not only was this a place of control and passage for the entrance to the majestic Inca city, but it also served as a place of rest where travelers were offered food and shelter. This is where the entourage that accompanied the Inca king sought refuge during the retreat to Tambomachay.

6.- Tambomachay Archaeological Complex.

This is our final stop, but by no means is it any less important than the others. Considered to have been a resting place for the Incas, it was constructed with adulation to water. Also called the Inca Baths, it consists of a series of aqueducts and canals that ended at a large waterfall.