In the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, surrounded by spectacular mountains
The view of the Iglesia de la Compania from across the Plaza
The Cathedral of Cusco (built with blocks pillaged from the nearby Saqsaywaman ruins)
The Iglesia de la Compania
The view central Cusco (a church and monestary) from the nearby mountains
The Plaza de Armas, no that's not a "gay-pride" flag flying in the square, but actually the Q'echua flag (the native people of Peru)
Kimberly in front of a plaque of the Q'echua flag
The Plaza de Armas in the afternoon
The Cathedral
Beautiful balconies surround the Plaza
Walking down Hatunrumiyoq street, lined with old Incan walls that formerly made up the Palacio de la Inca Roca.
Incredibly, the stones of the walls all fit together perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle!
Even the famous "12-angled stone" -- an example of the Incas masonry talent
After a tasty breakfast at Granja Heidi
The Qorikancha, which was originally the Incas Temple of the Sun, but then built over by the Spanish in the 1500s
The Spanish courtyard surrounds the Incan octagonal font, which once was covered by 55kg of gold.
In addition to hundreds of gold panels lining its walls, there were life-size gold figures, solid-gold altars, and a huge golden sun disc....all of which the Spanish melted down and sent back to Spain.
You can even see where the Spaniards built into the Incan foundation
During the Incas time, some 4,000 of the highest-ranking priests and their attendants were housed here.
Then the Spanish built the Santo Domingo church right on top of the Qorikancha
The courtyard of our hotel, The Ninos II, which also is a charity for local street kids, providing food, medical aid, and after-school activities.
Just outside Cusco, at the ruins of Saqsaywaman
Pachacutec, the great Incan ruler, envisioned Cusco as a Puma. The jagged walls of Saqsaywaman were supposed to represent its teeth
The stones of the walls were pillaged by the Spanish after Pisarro defeated the Manco Inca at the great battle here in 1536
But some of the stones were too large to move, one weighs over 300 tons!
The hill, called Rodadero, used to have three towers, but all that remains are retaining walls and stairs...
...and a finely carved series of stone benches...
...known as the Inca's Throne
The view of Cusco from Saqsaywaman
The view of the Cathedral and Plaza de Armas
Wildflowers in bloom everywhere!
Daniel in front of one of the gates to Saqsaywaman
A local Peruvian woman spinning yarn
A Peruvian woman from a different town walking with goods on her back
Rooftops in the San Blas neighborhood in Cusco
The Plaza de Armas lit up at night
At the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cusco
Where locals weave alpaca goods
And make beautiful authentic blankets, hats, and other textiles
