Day 73 - Cusco

Saturday, 25 October 2014

I woke up late in the morning and did nothing. In the afternoon, I met up with my friend Carlos, I could not meet him earlier because he was working. He brought me to a local market, Mantas Market where they sell all sorts of souvenirs, bread, cookies and food at really cheap prices because it is catered for the locals. On the way to the market, we passed by the Santa Clara Arch and the Santa Clara Church, and a whole lot of other churches. According to Carlos, there were 14 Inca leaders altogether in Cusco, the first being Manco Kapac who laid the foundation of Cusco, and the 9th being Pachacutec, another important leader. When the Spanish came, they built 14 churches in Cusco, to equalise the importance of Catholicism among the locals, the idea was to make the locals forget their Inca religion, customs and culture and embrace Catholicism. Hence, the rebuilding of churches over old Inca temples, for example the Cathedral, which I had already wrote on before.

We had lunch at the market, I had trout in some sort of sauce with rice, beans and French fries. It was more delicious than what I have tasted in restaurants in the city of Cusco, but such a big portion! I just could not finish it, it was too much for me.

After lunch we walked around the city of Cusco, where I saw things that I had not seen before, such as an Inca wall which contains a block of stone with 12 sides, so unusual. Using your imagination, you are supposed to be able to make out a snake, puma and part of a condor (part of the wall was destroyed by the Spanish), the 3 main animals in the Inca religion. This was part of a wall that formed the temple of Inca Roca. 

Then I went to some of the churches in the main plaza, one that I could remember the name of was Compania de Jesus (which used to be the house for Huayna Kapac, the son of Pachacutec); they were all beautiful churches.

Then dinner, and to the local disco for beers and dancing! It's Saturday night!