Cuzco and The Sacred Valley
Cuzco is Peru's tourist capital and should be on everyone's "must see" list. It has been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO
See the train information page for more on the train to Machu Picchu
Cuzco
"Our Father the Sun, having stated his will to his two children, dismissed them from his presence. They left Titicaca and walked north and along the way. Wherever they stopped, they attempted to sink the golden rod into the earth..."
Garcilaso de la Vega, The Royal Commentaries, 1609
According to legend, Cuzco (Qosqo in Quechua or "earth's navel") is the place where the Golden Rod finally sunk into the ground and where the First Inca, Manco Capac, founded his capitol city of the Inca Empire in the 12th century. In the early 1400s the ninth Inca, Pachacutec, began the expanding the Inca tribe. Pachacutec was a great urban developer, as well as politician. He designed Cuzco in the shape of a Puma, whose head and teeth are formed by the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. He is also responsible for the building of Qorikancha (Garden of Gold), the most important structure in the entire empire. Qorikancha was covered with plates of gold and its interior contained a series of temples dedicated to the Sun, Moon, Rainbow, Stars, Thunder and Lightning. Golden, bejeweled objects were found throughout and the Temple of the Moon was covered in sheets of silver. The courtyard or "Golden Garden" contained life-size gold replicas of the animals and plants of the kingdom.
Cuzco displayed some of the finest stonework in the empire, as well. The smallest stone in Qorikancha is a one-inch plug, such was the precision of the stonemasons. Another remarkable example is the 12 sided stone. By the time Conqueror Pizarro arrived in Cuzco, in 1533, it truly was the center of a thriving empire that the Inca called "Tahuantinsuyo" (4 directions). The empire extended from Lake Titicaca in the south to Lake Junin (currently Ecuador) in the north. Pizarro wasted no time in looting the city, completely stripping it of all gold, silver and jewels, and destroying most of the buildings. All that remain are the foundations of several structures, the walls of which serve as the bases of Spanish cathedrals, convents, and government buildings. The destruction of Cuzco not only made the Conquistadors rich, but also effectively wiped out the active Inca culture and religion, replacing it with Spanish tradition and rule.
Modern Cuzco is a fascinating mix of Inca and Colonial architecture and culture. In a lasting tribute to Inca skill, many extremely well-constructed Inca walls still stand today - intact, smooth and held together by only the precision of their angles and the gradual inward slope of their planes. They have withstood more than one earthquake that has leveled the Spanish buildings on top of them. The Spanish Colonial architecture is also beautiful. In the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral contains 400 colonial paintings, silver objects of art, and a main altar completely covered in silver. The convent of Santa Catalina contains important art and carvings and is, somewhat ironically, built on top of what was the Inca residence of the chosen women. Many churches and museums contain paintings of the Cuzco style developed by the Mestizo (Spanish and Indian heritage) artists. They applied European styles to their own fairy-tale and fable content. Unfortunately most of these early Mestizo artists painted anonymously, by insistence of the Spanish.
Cuzco is a charming and pleasant city. Quechua Indians wear their colorful native dress and the main square is one of the best places to haggle with a street vendor for an alpaca sweater. Food and drink options are varied and tasty. Corn is an important staple of the region. You can often find "tamales" and corn on the cob, or buy chicha, a sweet drink made of purple corn and fruit. Stuffed chili peppers (rocoto) are a regional specialty. Make sure you try the famous Peruvian Pisco Sour, a libation made from a powerful white grape brandy. You may also want to sample some coca tea. Many native Peruvians chew on the leaf of the coca plant, as they have for hundreds of years. (The fisherman with shrimp basket depicted on this artifact has a wad of coca leaves in his mouth.) The coca leaf produces a mild stimulant effect that is an effective treatment for low-intensity altitude sickness.
Passion for Peru recommends: Coca Tea or "Mate de Coca" will be offered to you in the highlands, in particular in Cuzco as a welcome drink. The leaf is legal in only 2 countries in the world, Peru and Bolivia, as it's the derivative of the narcotic Cocaine. As stated above it is used as a stimulant to overcome altitude sickness. The "stimulant" effect is that it quickens the heart and wakes you up far more effectively than caffeine. In my experience, it works. It is also good for helping upset stomachs.
Be aware it is illegal to bring these leaves or tea bags into your home country. Also you may fail a drugs test should you need to take one soon after drinking this tea.
Sacsayhuaman is the first important site outside of Cuzco, on the way to the Sacred Valley. Forming the head of the Puma shape that outlines Cuzco, it is comprised of three superimposed platforms, whose edges are zigzagged in the shape of the Puma's teeth. It was nearly impossible to attack the fortress from the ground level, as an aggressor's back was always exposed at some angle. A center field beneath the zigzag walls is the site of the yearly Inti Raymi festival, celebrating the winter solstice on June 24.
The huge stones that make Sacsayhuaman weigh up to 80 tons each, and required one hundred men to move. It took more than 70 years and the work of 20,000 people to finish building the Sacsayhuaman fortress. Manco Inca used Sacsayhuaman during his rebellion against the Conquistadors in 1535, as a base from which to attack the Conquistadors in Cuzco. Pizarro was able to recapture it with the aid of 50 cavalrymen.
The Sacred Valley
El "Valle Sagrado" or the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is actually the Vilcanota/Urubamba River valley. It is located about 10 miles north of Cuzco and extends northwest through Pisac and Ollantaytambo. This entire region, punctuated by Cuzco, was the heart of the Inca Empire from the 14th to the 15th centuries. As such, it contains numerous impressive ruins. Many of the villagers in this valley today live life much the same as they did prior to the Spanish Conquest in 1532.
Further along in the Sacred Valley you'll come to the Pisac ruins, a mountaintop complex of overlooks and a main temple area. It is known for its small, polished stones that fit perfectly together. In the main ruins, which are reached by a two-hour, uphill hike, you will find temples of the sun, moon, rain, rainbow, and stars, as well as a few Inca crosses rising from the ground. The cross represents the different levels of existence: The lower level signifies the underworld, and snake god; the higher level, human existence, represented by the jaguar or puma god; and the highest level, the celestial plane, represented by the condor. (This ceramic Chimu artifact shows a man wrestling with a Puma.)
The town of Pisac is a small, friendly village that is largely unchanged since the time of the Inca. A big craft and food market on Sundays, and smaller one on Thursdays, is visited by tourists and locals from miles around. Fried trout is the local delicacy, which is prepared fresh when available.
Ollantaytambo is basically the last stop along the Sacred Valley. It is built into a steep mountainside, and was a strategic outpost for defense, as well as a religious center. It is here that Manco Inca retreated after his defeat at Sacsayhuaman He was nearly successful in holding off the Spanish at Ollantaytambo, but after bringing in more troops, Pizarro was successful in forcing his retreat, successfully ending the native rebellion.
Ollantaytambo is made of enormous, stepped terraces constructed of unbelievably huge stones. The Ollantaytambo rock quarry was across the river valley on the opposite hillside. Workers moved stones used sloping planes, ramps, and rollers. At the valley floor they actually diverted the river around the rocks, rather than transport them across the river. (This ceramic plate found at Ollantaytambo shows the Inca preference for symmetry and duality in design.)
