Exploring Cusco: Week 11 / Day 76 / March 27
Cusco, Peru: We both woke up today feeling a bit better. Linda seems to be adjusting to the altitude a lot better than I am so far, but both of us are still moving pretty slowly.
We set out to explore the city near our hotel by walking to the Plaza Mayor del Cusco. Along one side of the plaza is the Catedral del Cuzco.
Although not terribly impressive from the exterior, it is much more so inside. Unfortunately, photographs are not allowed inside, so you will have to take my word for it or travel to Cusco yourself to see.
The plaza itself had a large fountain in the center topped by an Inca warrior.
From the plaza, we headed towards the Mercado Central de San Pedro. Along the way we passed the Universidad Nacional de Bellas Artes, passed through a city gate, and saw other churches.
We saw multiple statues of Andean Condors around the city and later learned that, along with the puma and the snake, formed an important trio of religious symbols for the Inca.
Arriving at the market we saw the usual stalls selling various fabrics and souvenirs. We also saw a lot of vendors selling fruit drinks and smoothies. I also realized one of the reasons I like seeing the produce and meat sections of the markets as much as I do. The souvenirs and garments being sold could have been made anywhere and may be nothing like what the local population actually purchases. The produce and meats, however, come from the local area and are primarily intended for consumption by the local population. I don’t think many tourists are buying a pig’s head to take back to their hotel room.
After walking through the market for a bit, we were feeling rather tired and decided to head back towards the hotel. On our walk back we went into the Basilica Menor de la Merced. We could only tour it briefly as it was closing for the afternoon shortly after we arrived. However, given how exhausted I was, I did not mind.
The foundation and construction of the church date from the 16th century. However, portions have been rebuilt over the years due to earthquake damage. Outside of the church is an impressive courtyard with walkways encircling it.
Visible within many of the arches of the courtyard are some beautiful murals.
The detailed woodwork of the passageways and the design of the entire courtyard was quite impressive.
Although we were unable to enter the church itself, we were able to view the church from a balcony. There were also some statues and a small altar up there as well.
Despite the fact that we had done hardly anything, I was exhausted and in need of some rest. We spent most of the remainder of the day napping, reading, and continuing to adjust to the altitude.
