Cusco - Peru
In April-May 2004 we had our third around-the-world trip. In 54 days we travelled to Auckland, Tahiti, Easter Island,
Santiago, Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Sillustani, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Cusco, Sacsayhuman, Tambomachay, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes,
Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Posada Amazonas, Ica, Nazca, Paracas, Ballestas Islands, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Itaipu Dam,
Rio de Janeiro, London, St. Petersburg and Singapore.
We travelled from Puno to Cusco on a First Class bus that had an English speaking tour guide
and a porter who dispensed free drinks on board.
The coach stopped off at various tourist sites along the way.
At 3326 metres, Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire.
It is the oldest continually inhabited city in the Americas.
Cusco has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and it has become a major tourist destination,
hosting nearly 2 million visitors a year.
Note the inward sloping windows of this temple at Koricancha.
Koricancha is Quechua for Golden Courtyard.
In Incan times the walls were lined with 700 solid gold sheets.
Koricancha - The Temple of the Sun
The temple was used for religious rites - mummified bodies were kept here.
It was also an observatory where priests kept track of major celestial events.
The Spanish have built a church on and over the Incan buildings on this site.
The Incan foundations have withstood earthquakes whereas the church has often been damaged.
Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
A 12-sided stone block shows the fine Inca craftmanship
In April-May 2004 we had our third around-the-world trip. In 54 days we travelled to Auckland, Tahiti, Easter Island,
Santiago, Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Sillustani, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Cusco, Sacsayhuman, Tambomachay, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes,
Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Posada Amazonas, Ica, Nazca, Paracas, Ballestas Islands, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Itaipu Dam,
Rio de Janeiro, London, St. Petersburg and Singapore.
We travelled from Puno to Cusco on a First Class bus that had an English speaking tour guide
and a porter who dispensed free drinks on board.
The coach stopped off at various tourist sites along the way.
At 3326 metres, Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire.
It is the oldest continually inhabited city in the Americas.
Cusco has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and it has become a major tourist destination,
hosting nearly 2 million visitors a year.
Note the inward sloping windows of this temple at Koricancha.
Koricancha is Quechua for Golden Courtyard.
In Incan times the walls were lined with 700 solid gold sheets.
Koricancha - The Temple of the Sun
The temple was used for religious rites - mummified bodies were kept here.
It was also an observatory where priests kept track of major celestial events.
The lucky number of the Incas was 3.
3 windows, 3 layers of stone, 3 drainage holes etc.
The Spanish have built a church on and over the Incan buildings on this site.
The Incan foundations have withstood earthquakes whereas the church has often been damaged.
Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
A 12-sided stone block shows the fine Inca craftmanship
