Qorikancha and Sacsaywamam.
This is Qorikancha. It is known for its Spanish architecture built on ancient Incan ruins. To the Incans it was known as the Temple of the Sun and was the most important place of worship in the Incan Empire. The walls were covered with sheets of gold and silver statues. It contained 21 sheets of gold.
Under Spanish rule the temple was converted to the Church of Santo Domingo, under the Francescan order. They attempted to rebuild the temple but the massive Incan walls were too strong so they remain the foundation, with the Spanish colonial church built on its walls. The oldest walls date back to the 12th century, while the Spanish part is from the 17th century.
The back of the Church leads down to a beautiful terraced garden.
From the terraces at the back of the church you can see across the city with its red tiled rooftops toward the Andes Mountains.
We make our to our waiting bus and drive a short way to the ancient Incan fortress of Sacsaywamam high above Cusco. This is another man made wonder. Massive stones of granite, weighing as much as 100 tonnes were brought from a quarry 25 kms away. The rocks were meticulously chosen and shaped to form walls that remain intact to this day. The stones fit so perfectly together that no material was used between to bond them. The Incans had no machines or equipment and only primitive tools. Rocks would have to be moved with only manpower, using thousands of men from villages within the empire. Incans had no slaves but everyone had to pay taxes and they could pay their taxes by providing 3 months of labour per year.
Sacsaywaman sits above Cusco at an altitude of over 12,000 ft. There were temples sitting above the walls and structure but they were destroyed by the Spanish and used to repair colonial structures destroyed in a massive earthquake.
Terraced fields cover the sides of the mountains and even at this altitude the ground is fertile and arable.
This herd of llamas surprised us, darting out from around one of the rocky walls. The ones with shorter curly hair are llamas and the ones with longer shaggy hair are alpacas. Llamas are beasts of burden, used for hauling things, however can only carry a maximum of 25 kgs.
While alpacas are used for many purposes. Their wool is soft and beautiful and used in clothing, the meat is tender and a common food here. Even their bones are used for musical instruments and tools.
This massive statue of Corpus Christi looks down over the city, lit up at night. To the right of it are three crucifixses.
The rooftops of Cusco from high above. You can see the red tiled roofs of the old historic part of the city in the foreground and the whiter buildings in the distance are the newer ones.
Sisters on the road!
Finally, as twilight falls we head to the Plaza for a lesson in low light photography, shooting at slow shutter speeds on tripods. We set up on the steps of the Cathedral and wait for the magic hour as the sky turns a brilliant blue just as the sun sets, and before it turns black.
I always find this exciting and love the result.
At about 5:00 we set up, focussing on the Basilica across the street.
The sky quickly darkens a deeper blue. Because we are shooting a slow shutter speeds the lights of passing cars create ribbons of light on the street, blurring out the vehicles completely.
As the sky turns black we can no longer see the buildings against the sky. Now we adjust our settings and capture the starbursts of street lights against the night sky. Above the lights of the buildings on the hillside look like stars in the sky. The plaza is aglow with light reflecting on the shiny cobblestone.
How cool is that!!!
A very busy day and the evening is cold and damp. We find a warm café and a hot cup of tea and some pasta. And we look forward to what tomorrow holds......
Come With Me....
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