A Journey to Peru… by Erin & Jarret

1. A Journey to Peru…by Erin & Jarret

2. Peekskill, NY Cusco, Peru

3. We arrived in Cusco (Qosq’o in the Quechua language) – population 350,000 – the morning of 25 December 2004 via one of Peru’s domestic airlines,“Lan Peru.” Cusco sits at a lofty 3326 meters above sea level.

4. After surviving the onslaught of “free tourist information” - pushers positioned in booths around the airport’s exit, we managed to negotiate a private taxi (in our broken Spanish) and forge ahead to our hostel – a journey complicated by the fact that we had forgotten its name…

5. We eventually found our hostel’s address, clambered up a typically a flight of steep Cusco steps and wound our way through an alley into an unmarked building…

6. Ringing ‘door number five’ we were received by our non-English speaking receptionist – who, after politely greeting us, ran to frantically clean our room.

7. The Hostería de Anita is a guest house located just two blocks from the Plaza de Armas – or central square – in the old District of San Blas As you can see, the hostel features a commons area with a beautiful garden full of flowers and plants indigenous to the region.

8. And since we were already feeling the effects of carting our luggage in the high altitude, we decided to take it easy for our first day in Cusco.

9. Cusco served as the administrative and spiritual heart of the powerful Inca empire from as early (possibly) as the 12th century until it was seized by Spanish conquistadors starting in 1533.

10. Still the hub of social life in Cusco, the Plaza de Armas – known in the Quecha language as Huacaypata - had been double its size today during Inca times. Legend has it that in the 12th century, the first Inca, Manco Capac the son of the sun, was charged by the sun god to find “qosq’o” or the navel of the earth – to plunge a golden rod into the ground until it disappeared.

11. quechua Quechua ("qheshwa") is an indigenous language of the Andean region, spoken today by approximately 13 million people in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Northern Chile, Argentina, and Southern Colombia. It was the official language of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire.

12. Over the past 400 years, there has been a long process of inter-cultural mixing, creating the mestizo of part-American Indian, part-European heritage. Today the majority of Peruvians would fall into this category.

13. The Cusco Cathedral inherits the Gothic-Renaissance hybridism of the great Spanish Cathedrals of the XVI century. Many of its stone blocks have an Inca origin as they were pilfered from the neighboring fortress of Sacsayhuamán by their Spanish builders.

14. Construction began in 1559 and took almost a hundred years to build. The cathedral sits atop the site of Inca Viracocha’s palace. Inside, it boasts numerous glitzy silver and gold side chapels with elaborately gilded altars.

15. Notice the Spanish-influenced baroque style in the Cathedral’s enormous front-altarpiece as well as in its monumental towers.

18. Marcos Zapata’s 17th century painting, La Ultima Cena (The Last Supper) has the apostles with ghostly white pallor, while Judas is given the darker skin coloring and, stretched out in the center of the table, is a local Inca delicacy – cuy, or roast guinea pig.

19. The early 17th-century cedarwood choir stalls bear testimony to the skill of the principal carver, Tomas Tuero Tupac, and are some of the finest in Peru

21. Construction of the Iglesia de La Compania de Jesusstarted by the Jesuit order in 1576 at Amarukancha or the Palace of the Inca Huayna Qhapaq. It is considered one of the best example of colonial Baroque architecture in South America. It was reconstructed after the devastating 1650 earthquake.

22. The church possesses a collection of sculptures and paintings of the wedding of Saint Ignatius Loyola's cousin and a Ñusta of Inca stock.

23. The Convent of San Francisco is the oldest convent in the city. Its notable points include an impressive ceiling decorated with gorgeous painted panels, and a high choir that was carved from local cedar wood in 1652. Paintings adorn the walls throughout the convent; almost all of them anonymous from the Cusqueña School of painting.

24. Massive Inca walls line the city’s central streets and form the foundations of both colonial and modern buildings. Cusco’s cobbled streets are often stepped, narrow and thronged with Quecha-speaking descendants of the Incas.

25. Look closely at the architectural genius of the Inca’s mortarless construction. In 1687 and 1868 violent earthquakes destroyed almost every building in Cusco. In 1950 another earthquake shook Cusco leaving just one quarter of its buildings standing. The only structures to withstand three centuries of seismic tremors were what Inca walls and foundations had not been already demolished by the Spanish invaders.

26. On any given day, you’ll be offered the chance to pose with a traditionally clad woman and her llama or alpaca, for a small donation of course…

28. Many believe that the Inca people, who devoted themselves to the worship of their gods, built their cities around sacred symbols like that of the Puma, the Condor or the Lizard. If you use your imagination, original Cusco could fit this pattern.

29. Making our way out of town, we got a close-up view of the Cristo Blanco (White Christ). With arms outstretched, Cristo Blanco towers over the city from atop a nearby hill. Modeled after the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, this statue was a gift to the city from Palestinians resettled in Cusco. We ventured outside of Cusco to the small town of Písac the morning of our second day. Thanks to a helpful taxi driver, we found the bus station (a partially fenced gravel lot), paid some guys sitting behind a wooden stand our 2 soles (pronounced so-lays) each – and boarded the bus.

30. Our 80 cents took us (the only foreign passengers on-board) on an hour-long ride to Písac, which is located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 32 km (20 miles) from Cusco. Urubamba River

31. Every Sunday, artisans and indigenous merchants travel to this small village of 2,000 people for the "catu" or the fair in the town’s Main Square.

33. Locals taking time to enjoy lunch

34. Photos around Písac

35. Photos around Písac

36. After Sunday mass, the mayor leads the congregation from the church in a colorful procession into the Plaza de Armas.

37. We spent the morning practicing our “no, gracias” to the hundreds of merchants hawking their alpaca wool textile crafts, painted gourds and silver jewelry to us.

38. Here’s Jarret after ten minutes of haggling with an elderly woman over the equivalent of $3.50 Boys playing in Písac

39. After further exploring Písac, we caught the bus home, found some dinner, met our guides and fellow Inca Trail travelers, and hurredly rushed around town to find someplace to store our luggage during our hike.

40. This next section takes you along with us on our four-day expedition through the Inca Trail to the lost city of Machu Picchu. Views of snowcapped peaks and high cloud forests left us awe-struck. Walking from one cliff-hugging ruin to the next was truly a spiritual and unforgettable experience.

42. DAY ONE The Peruvian government now requires you to trek the Trail with certified guides. We went with the Q’ente company. Here’s us with our fellow Inca Trail hikers.

43. The trail begins by crossing the rapidly flowing Urubamba river at Cusichaca, or "Bridge of happiness."

44. Although the total distance is only 45 km, the ancient trail laid by the Incas from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu winds its way up and down the Andes mountains, taking three mountain passes.

45. With the invasion of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, and their systematic extermination of the Inca civilization, any Inca written language was lost forever. ManyInca historical sites have been since renamed by an American professor who rediscovered many of them. In the early 20th century, Professor Hiram Bingham led the expeditions that scientifically re-discovered, named, cataloged and popularized most of the Incan ruins, including Machu Picchu.

46. A typical home along the Inca Trail.

47. Along the trail we met a wild pig who enjoyed dining on a banana skin that we fed him.

48. The first Inca site we crossed, named “Canabamba,” served as a “tambo,” or small town where travelers – who would come from all around, including the jungle – could stop exchange goods with locals who lived there permanently.TheIncas did not use money.

49. Cambamba - This building served as the local textile factory, which every tambo had. Here, craftspeople would hand-weave beautiful fabrics – using their tambo’s particular colors.

50. Wild horses roaming in the mountains. Note that horses are not native to this region. They were brought by the 16th century Spanish invaders.