Cuzco, Cusco or Qosqo - What's in a name
The beautiful city of Cusco ( previously spelled Cuzco and soon to be Qosqo - which is the native quechua spelling of the city) was formerly the Incan capital and is currently Peru's historical capital. Today we are taking a quick 15 minute ride from our hotel in Cusco to the Incan archaeological site of Sacsayhuamán (it is pronounced like Sexy Woman) . While Macchu Picchu is revered for its beautiful location and splendid views, Sacsayhuamán is admired for the remarkable architectural engineering skills that were needed for its creation.
The complex is similar to many other Inca constructions, made of large polished dry-stone walls, each boulder carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cuzco. What is so unbelieveable about this site though is that some of the boulders are as large as a car!
So what was Sacsayhuamán? According to our guides it was a temple. Sacsayhuaman has a very special design with walls that zigzag. This design is rather uncommon and is similar to some castles in Europe, Spanish invaders believed that Sacsayhuaman was a fortress. The locals say the Sacsayhuaman Temple was dedicated to the Andean God Illapa (the Ray or Lightning), which was very important to the agriculture rituals; this deity is the true reason of the zig zag lightening bolt shape of the Sacsayhuaman. It really is a sight to behold!
It was still early in the day and we took a quick 5 minute ride to our next destination, which was a labrynth used by the Incas for certain rituals that was carved into the rocks. Harvey, our local guide, told us that in the center of the labrynth was a chamber that was perhaps used to prepare bodies for the next life. He showed us the altar that was used for this ritual, when we touched it it was very cold (like a morgue). We also noted the shape of the opening to exit the center chamber it was shaped like a llamas head!
We headed back to Cusco where we had the afternoon to explore. My roommate, Kathryn and I decided to go wherever our feet took us. Here is where we went:
Through the gates of city, to San Pedro's market.
In the market we saw:
I was not sure what festival the masks were used for, but I though they were interesting, and not too much money either.
The very fresh homemade chicken soup looked yummy, but Kathryn reminded me I was just starting to feel better and it might not be a good idea to partake in the local lunch.
Loved the fruits, vegetable and grains....
The breads were as big as platters and were only about $2 US dollars
Peeling some potatoes for the chicken soup - I still had my eye on it, my stomache was starting to grumble at this point, and Kathryn reminded me again why I should not eat it.......
I took many more pictures in the market, there were beef hearts for sale, pigs, camel lips (not sure what those were used for) lambs heads, frogs, chickens etc. But I thought that dead animals was not a sight most people would be interested in seeing in a travel blog! We finally left the market, without any purchases but with some very good memories. As we were walking back to the hotel, we spotted this woman selling her potatoes
She must have had 10 different types in her bag, she even had some purple ones!
The architecture in Cusco is a cross between Spanish colonial, moorish and Incan, but one thing is for sure there are some of the largest and most beautiful doors I have ever seen in this city.
We were starving by the time we were heading back to the hotel, it must have been seeing all that food at the marketplace, so when we go to the center of town we stopped for some pizza, for a New Yorker who is used to great pizza, it wasn't too bad!
We were reenergized after our meal and decided to do some last minute shopping as we were leaving in the morning for our flight to Lima and then home. Lo and behold, I found a store specializing in religous art! Guess what is now hanging in my living room!
Tonight in our last evening meal together as a group, the reality of going home is setting in. We had a private dinner at the hotel this evening in their beautiful dining room. We had a fantastic time playing the white elephant game, I wound up with a beautiful pair of alpaca socks ( thanks Bonnie!) that my daughter confiscated immediately upon my arrival home. We said our goodbyes - the first of many - to our local guide Harvey. Time for one last drink with the group in the hotel bar and then pack for the trip home.
The complex is similar to many other Inca constructions, made of large polished dry-stone walls, each boulder carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cuzco. What is so unbelieveable about this site though is that some of the boulders are as large as a car!
So what was Sacsayhuamán? According to our guides it was a temple. Sacsayhuaman has a very special design with walls that zigzag. This design is rather uncommon and is similar to some castles in Europe, Spanish invaders believed that Sacsayhuaman was a fortress. The locals say the Sacsayhuaman Temple was dedicated to the Andean God Illapa (the Ray or Lightning), which was very important to the agriculture rituals; this deity is the true reason of the zig zag lightening bolt shape of the Sacsayhuaman. It really is a sight to behold!
It was still early in the day and we took a quick 5 minute ride to our next destination, which was a labrynth used by the Incas for certain rituals that was carved into the rocks. Harvey, our local guide, told us that in the center of the labrynth was a chamber that was perhaps used to prepare bodies for the next life. He showed us the altar that was used for this ritual, when we touched it it was very cold (like a morgue). We also noted the shape of the opening to exit the center chamber it was shaped like a llamas head!
We headed back to Cusco where we had the afternoon to explore. My roommate, Kathryn and I decided to go wherever our feet took us. Here is where we went:
In the market we saw:
The breads were as big as platters and were only about $2 US dollars
I took many more pictures in the market, there were beef hearts for sale, pigs, camel lips (not sure what those were used for) lambs heads, frogs, chickens etc. But I thought that dead animals was not a sight most people would be interested in seeing in a travel blog! We finally left the market, without any purchases but with some very good memories. As we were walking back to the hotel, we spotted this woman selling her potatoes
She must have had 10 different types in her bag, she even had some purple ones!
The architecture in Cusco is a cross between Spanish colonial, moorish and Incan, but one thing is for sure there are some of the largest and most beautiful doors I have ever seen in this city.
We were reenergized after our meal and decided to do some last minute shopping as we were leaving in the morning for our flight to Lima and then home. Lo and behold, I found a store specializing in religous art! Guess what is now hanging in my living room!
Tonight in our last evening meal together as a group, the reality of going home is setting in. We had a private dinner at the hotel this evening in their beautiful dining room. We had a fantastic time playing the white elephant game, I wound up with a beautiful pair of alpaca socks ( thanks Bonnie!) that my daughter confiscated immediately upon my arrival home. We said our goodbyes - the first of many - to our local guide Harvey. Time for one last drink with the group in the hotel bar and then pack for the trip home.
0 Response to "Cuzco, Cusco or Qosqo - What's in a name"
Post a Comment