Cusco Day 4 – Cathedral, Pisac, Sacsayhuaman,Cusco

Cusco, Peru

Sunday in Cusco city is full of life – markets, local children dancing in the Plaza de Armas, and lots of activity. I decided it would be a good day to check out the Cathedral – not only to be a good Catholic, but also to take advantage of not having to pay 25 soles to see it (wow, that makes me sound horrible!!) It was a beautiful mass and the inside of the Cathedral is like entering a colonial art museum. The works of art are massive in scale and gorgeous pieces from the Cusco School. The Choir is amazing – it is directly in front of the altar and is carved in cedar wood with a very complex baroque style. It has carved images of 42 male Saints of the Catholic Church from all over the world and on the upper side 38 female Saints and Virgins. Gorgeous. But my favorite piece was the famous last supper depicted in Cusco style showing Christ and the Apostles having a Cuy (Guinea Pig) in with a glass of Chicha. So perfect ;-) After mass, I went to grab a taxi to Pisac so I could visit the Pisac Market. I took a “Taxi de Estacion” (Collection Taxi) which meant we had to wait for it to fill before we could leave, so it was a bit annoying having to wait 30 minutes, and to have to share a toyota station wagon with 7 other people – but hey, for 7 Soles, I couldn’t complain. The drive to Pisac is gorgeous, and when we got to the market – I didn’t know where to start! There were so many booths and vendors, I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but I somehow managed to see most of it and get a few things for myself and as gifts. The best part of the trip was enjoying my first Choclo (Corn on the Cob) which I had been looking forward to since arriving in Cusco. It did not disappoint – DELICIOUS!! After making my way through the entire market, I found a cool looking restaurant/art gallery serving healthy, organic food – so I headed in and enjoyed a stuffed avocado with rice and fresh salad – it was so good! I headed to the front of town to find a taxi and head back to Cusco, and met a taxista names Juan who recommended I check out the Pisac ruins before heading back. I am so grateful I took his advice – I had not heard much about the ruins at Pisac, which is shocking to me considering how impressive they are. Juan drove me up the backside of the mountain to the top of the mountain and helped me find a guide, since I didn’t know much about the ruins. My guide’s name was Eduardo, and he was born and raised in one of the small towns in the valley below Pisac, so he was extremely knowledgeable about the area, its history, and the significance of the ruins. Before starting our trek, I sat and chatted with a young girl who was weaving belts and purchased one from her – she was also born and raised in Pisac and is learning spanish so that she can go to school and earn more money for her family. She was beautiful ;-) I stopped at the ritual bathing fountains to “purify myself” before entering the ruins – this is where visitors from across the empire would cleanse themselves of any negative energy/spirits. The ruins were amazing – as were the incredible views of the valley from the top. After seeing The Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Moon and Intihuatana, I started to get a deeper sense of the intricacy and interconnectedness of all the Inca ruins. It is truly fascinating to see how each location had its own specific function – yet was part of a larger design. I left Pisac in total bliss – and the ride back to Cusco was gorgeous. We neared Cusco right before sunset, just in time to stop at Sacsayhuaman and visit these beautiful ruins.