Cusco: The Inca Capital of the World

I LOVE PERU. I love it here so much, I really want to learn Spanish when I return so I can travel more throughout South America. I’ve picked up on it a little bit, but I would love to return sometime when I can really communicate.

After exploring Lima for a day, my sister and I flew to Cusco. We planned on spending the largest chunk of our trip there, because there is so much to do.

We relied heavily on our book, “Lonely Planet: South America on a Shoe String” especially in the city of Cusco. We decided that it made the most sense to purchase the Boleto Turístico, which was a ticket that would allow us to see 12 different sites in the area.

We decided to take our first stop to the breathtaking site of Sacsayhuamán. It was only about a 15 minute taxi ride to the northern outskirts of the city and we had a gorgeous view of Cusco. Sacsayhuamán was the historic capital of the Inca Empire, which is PRETTY COOL if you ask me.

While we were exploring the grounds of the Inca Empire capital, I overheard some Chinese tourists. I (big surprise here) managed to chat with them for a while! It was hilarious that I was able to find some people talk with, and they were even from Beijing so we had similar accents. Erin thought it was freaky that I would speak in Chinese and they would answer in English. They were an adorable group and were very surprised to have American girls in Peru speaking Chinese with them!

Erin and I were exploring the sites by ourselves (we didn’t see a reason why we should waste our money on a tour guide!). There are a few signs scattered throughout the area, but we mostly just took our time and found our way through.

Funny Story: Erin and I were walking behind a group of school kids, probably about 25 or so 10 year olds and their teachers. They had stopped for a break and Erin and I tried to quietly walk in front of them. We had no idea where we were going, but (being the adventurous soul that I am) I decided to just take a chance and go through a tunnel. The tunnel was naturally  carved into the rock and it got pretty narrow at the end. I tried my best to fit through, but my water bottle fell and my backpack was stuck… so Erin and I were laughing like crazy and I backed my way out of it and all of the schoolkids got a real kick out of us gringas.

We also decided to climb a nearby mountain. At the top sat Cristo Blanco (White Christ). It was beautiful to see Him looking over the entire city. At night you can also see Cristo Blanco lit up from lower in the mountains.

We had a wonderful and tiring morning. It was lovely to take our time and just enjoy the views.

Plaza de Armas is the religious and cultural center of Cusco. After the tiring morning that we had, Erin and I strolled around the square and looked at many shops. We had a quick stop at Starbucks (which has beautiful views overlooking the Plaza) to regroup and get some much-needed caffeine 🙂

We stumbled upon a beautiful building, later to find out that it was the most important temple of the Inca Empire. Qorikancha was mainly dedicated to the Sun God. It was fascinating to see the traditional Inca style art and how it transformed into a European style. The building structure was similar to other Inca creations but the paintings and decorations put into it made me feel like I was in Europe again.

Erin and I stopped at a well-known Italian restaurant and had a tasty American-style meal. I was completely following all the laws when I ordered a  glass of sangria 😉 Erin tried it and was not a fan.

 

We ended the day shopping around local market places and bargaining our way to beautiful items. It is really fun just to walk around and see all the local art and culture that is within the shopping areas.

 

UP NEXT: more fun in Cusco! Thanks for reading! Gracias amigos!