We traveled back to Cusco from Puno to see our final round of Inca ruins. Cusco is an amazing city, full of winding cobblestone streets with narrow sidewalks that are often only a foot wide. You have to balance on the sidewalks to avoid being hit by all the taxis and cars zooming up them.
The Qorikancha is an ancient Inca temple with the Catholic monastery of Santo Domingo built on top of it after the Spanish conquered Cusco in the 16th century. It was considered to be the very center of the Inca world. Also known as the Golden Enclosure, it was dedicated to the most revered Inca gods - Virachocha (the Creator), Quilla (the moon goddess) and Inti (the god of the sun). The construction of the site was attributed to Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the 9th Inca ruler, who lived from 1438 to 1471.
At the height of the Inca empire, the temple was decorated in gold and precious jewels. Apparently when the Spanish conquered Cusco, it took them two months to melt down all the gold that was pillaged from the temple.
One of the most amazing aspects of the temple is that from above it resembled the sun with 41 rays shooting from its center. The rays were called Seqes, and each pointed to other sacred places called Wakas located in other parts of Cusco and beyond. These sacred places were shrines, temples, caves, springs and other places venerated by the Inca.
This painting, by Cusco artist Miguel Araoz Cartagena, represents the Qorikancha in the center with the 41 rays shooting out of it to the various sacred locations.
Sunset over the Qorikancha and the Catholic monastery of Santo Domingo.
The Condor, Snake and Jaguar from Inca mythology.
Spanish structure built on top of Inca walls.
Through Inca windows. Alignments were important to the Incas.
Walls old and new.