Back in Cusco for Nick's Birthday

Nick turned 76 on May 18.  We walked down to the Plaza de Armas, where a parade was in progress.  I thought maybe it was in Nick's honor, but it turned out to be the faculties and departments of the National University of St. Anthony the Abbot, one of Peru's oldest and largest universities.  It was founded in Cusco in 1692.  Most of the marchers, faculty and students, wore black suits, although a few groups were in serapes and the scientific groups wore white lab coats.  A band was playing and each group was announced from a reviewal stand on the steps of the cathedral.  Each group was preceded by a standard bearer, some of whom goose-stepped their way along the cobblestones.

Goose-stepping Around the Plaza

The Physics Faculty

Not Sure Which Department They Represented

Leading the Way in Pink Marching Boots.  Ouch!

We spent the afternoon with a guided tour of Cusco and the nearby area.  The Cathedral was begun by the Spanish in 1559 and took almost a hundred years to complete.  It's joined on either side by two other churches.  Mass is said in the main cathedral.  Baptisms take place in the one to its left, and confessions are heard in the one on the right.  All three churches, but particularly the cathedral, contain an incredible amount of gold and silver altars and adornments, elaborate wood carvings, and a treasury of religious art.  For security reasons, a no photo policy is strictly enforced (a bit hard to understand, since you can purchase books with photos of the interiors).  Our favorite painting was a large depiction of the Last Supper showing a small feast of typical Andean food with a cuy (guinea pig) roasted on a platter with its feet sticking up in the air.  The guide pointed out the feminine features of the person sitting next to Jesus and asked if we'd read The DaVinci Code.
Competing for attention on the Plaza is the Jesuit Church de la Compania de Jesus.  The Dominican order built the cathedral.  The Jesuits wanted something equally or even grander. The archbishop complained and eventually the argument was taken to Rome for a decision by Pope Paul III, who decided in favor of the Dominicans and the cathedral.  By the time the decision reached Cusco, however, the Jesuit church had been completed, with an incrediby ornate baroque exterior and the biggest altar in Peru.

Dualing Churches:  the Dominican Cathedral

The Jesuit Church

And Another Church, of the Merced (Mercy) Order, a Block Off the Main Plaza

From the Plaza we walked with our guide to the remains of the Incan Temple of the Sun.  The temple was the richest building in the Inca empire with walls lined with over 700 gold sheets, each weighing over 2 kg and gold and silver replicas of corn, llamas and other objects.  The Spanish conquerors stripped and melted down all of the gold, made it into bricks, and shipped it off to Spain.  They then built a church and convent on top of the Inca stonework.  Ironically, most of the Spanish colonial constructions have been severely damaged by a long series of earthquakes.  The Inca stonework here and at other sites in Cusco has remained intact.

Inca Stone Wall at the Base of the Santa Domingo Church

Remains of an Altar of Sacrifice, Once Covered in Gold

Still Functioning Inca Aquaduct, Draining Water from the Temple Site to a Pool

 Our next stop was the ruins of Sacsaywaman, a very large Inca fortress a couple of miles uphill from the center of the city (we took a bus).  After the Spanish conquest, the fort was re-captured by Inca rebels, who used it to lay seige to Cusco.  The Spanish ultimately defeated the rebels and tore down many of the walls to use the blocks for their constructions in Cusco.  The largest rocks remained in place.

The Largest Rock at Sacsaywaman, Weighing Over 300 Tons

We also visited the ruins of Q'engo, where bodies were prepared for mummification on altars in a subterranean cave.

Watching Our Heads as we Entered the Cave

One of the Altars Where Bodies Were Laid Out

 We ended our day with a birthday dinner at Cicciolina, on the second floor of a colonial mansion.  We have really been impressed by the excellent cuisine in Peru.  This was no exception.

Nick and His Birthday Cookies.  We Were Too Full to Order Dessert