The city of Cusco enjoys several distinctions. Cuzqueños consider their city to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas. I guess it depends upon how you count it; they have conveniently forgotten about Mexico City. I suppose even Mexico had to wait until her builders drained a lake. So, maybe the Cuzqueños are correct.
Cusco is considered to be the "capitol" of the ancient Inca empire. The Incas were relative late-comers to political power, like the Aztecs in Mexico. In ancient Peru, as in Mexico, a series of different cultures exerted political and social dominance, then declined, over the centuries. The Incas were merely the last in a series of empire builders when the Spanish conquered Peru. Nevertheless, the Inca empire stretched over a extensive area that today lies in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. The Inca empire unified several different cultures into one massive economic and political system. Of course, not everyone was happy with their Inca masters. The Spanish were able to exploit divisions within the Inca empire to their own advantage, as they did in Mexico.
Recently, Cusco has encouraged pride in its Indian heritage. This resurgence in pride is reflected in the return of place names to the Quecha language spellings. For example, you may see the city spelled as Q'osko.
I stayed at the Hotel El Monasterio, which was the former monastery of the church San Francisco Abad. The rooms were small in this tourist hotel, but it had an inner courtyard, and an appealing architecture, with gracious arches and the like.
Cusco rightfully claims to be the highest city in the Americas; it stands at an elevation of 11,000 feet above sea level. By contrast, Denver's elevation is about 5,300 feet. At an elevation of slightly over 5,000 feet, Fort Davis (Jeff Davis County) is the highest town in Texas.
Machu Picchu stands at an elevation of 8,000 feet. The base of Machu Picchu stands at 6,800 feet, which puts the rise, from base to summit, at 1,200 feet. We ascended Machu Picchu at approximately 60 feet per minute during the 20 minute bus ride.
Most of Texas in located on flat plains or rolling praries, but several peaks in the Trans-Pecos region of Far West Texas stand over 8,000 feet, including Guadalupe Peak (Culberson County) and El Capitan (Culberson).
I suffered from sorocho, or altitude sickness, almost every evening that I stayed in Cusco. I felt feverish-particularly around my eyes-and tired, with nightly headaches. People say that maté de coca,, or coca tea, is the best remedy. The Cuzqueños feed it to you constantly. The sickness usually forced me into bed by 9:00 p.m. Ironically, Cusco comes alive at night. Refreshed from their afternoon siesta, people wander the streets and patronize various businesses, most of which stay open until 9:00 p.m. or longer. The evening meal is served beginning at about 8:00 p.m., and it is not unusual to see people dining in restaurants at 10:00 p.m. or later. Bars or restaurants offered entertainment until midnight or 1:00 p.m. Unfortunately, I did not get to appreciate this nightlife very much.
Cusco demonstrates living syncretization of Spanish and Indian cultures, as does Mexico, through its food, its customs and particularly through its architecture. The Spanish tore down temples and palaces of the Inca rulers and used the stones to build cathedrals and mansions. Some structures, such as the Convento de Santo Domingo, were built directly upon Inca foundations and used the "power of place" to superimpose the Catholic faith and Spanish social order upon Inca society.
An example of syncretization is the mita, or ritual labor tribute that all Inca subjects gave to the state. The Spanish adapted the mita in order to continue to extract a "tax" from their Peruvian conquests. Unfortunately, the Spanish labor tax did not extend the same benefits to its Indian subjects as the indigenous mita and it became, in effect, a type of slavery.
Another example of syncretization is the Cuzqueña style of painting. Indian slaves were instructed to execute fabulous paintings for the churches of the Spanish conquerors, and given illustrations to copy. The Indians' imitation of European painting was so accurate, amazing and popular that it became a unique style that is now called Cuzqueña. I don't recall all of the characteristics of Cuzqueña painting, but some that I remember from a signboard in a museum include:
The name means place where the condor feeds (literally full+condor). The ruins at Sacsayhuaman are just outside of Cusco. Like the Europeans and others, the Incas layed out their cities according to an urban "plan." Cusco and Sacsayhuaman are layed out together in the form of a puma, or mountain lion. The head of the puma is at Sacsayhuaman, an important ceremonial center, and the body of the puma is within the city of Cusco. Tour guides like to tell tourists that the site is pronounced like "sexy woman." Fortunately, my tour guide was a woman, who did not happen to like this practice. Several years ago, the Sendero Luminoso spray-painted graffiti on the site.
Q'enko is considered to be a huaca or "holy place." There are many secret caves and crevices throughout the site.
The name means "red fortress." It is the least visited of the four ruins outside of Cusco.
The name means "worship water." You can see fountains and water channels which are built into the walls (as in many Inca sites). When we visited a group of women were washing their hair in a fountain.
It's not that Cusco itself is frozen in time. Fax machines and computer terminals can be found in Cusco. But, time seems to move slower in Cusco than in the rest of the world because of its appearance; and, like Santa Fe, New Mexico, city leaders take pains to ensure to preserve its historical. Cusco is not a huge city like Mexico. Cusco has a population of about 450,000 which is about the size of Denver
Though not Cusco itself, the Cuzqueña painting is completely frozen. Cuzqueñas decorate churches, hotel lobbies, banks and restaurants. Shopkeepers offer them to tourists and well-to-do Peruvians from the shop windows. Whether painted yesterday or three-hundred years ago, Cuzqueñas exhibit similar characteristics. The colonial painting is outwardly indistinguishable from a contemporary one, or from one painted one-hundred or fifty years ago. I saw very little modern art in Cusco. Oh, there is a mural here and there, but nothing that would interfere with the colonial ambience of the city.
Thousands of tourists, especially German and Japanese, travel to Cusco each year to see a relatively unchanged colonial atmosphere. On the street, I heard literally dozens of languages and different accents of English. Sometimes, I felt that Cusco was like a real-live Disneyworld. Only, I wondered: "Where does everyone go at night?"
In Cusco, it is hard to pick out "real Indians" from the rest of the population. Even though most of the people who sell native crafts and pose for tourists wear characteristically-Indian dress, they are "mestizos," or the product of mixing between the Indians and Spanish. Supposedly, one's head-wear reveals a purity of bloodlines. Only tribal Indians wear the ponteras, or flat-topped hats which designate one's village of origin through colors and design. "Mestizas" show a preference for European-style hats, such as fedoras or bowlers. Of course, most Peruvians possesses at least some indigenous facial features. One's "Indian-ness" may much to do with class and rural background as well as with genotype. Mainly women and children sell crafts and pose for tourists, except in the very successful shops. I suppose the men are at home making the handiwork sold by the women and children, or are out doing farming or construction jobs.
The Urubamba River valley is considered to be the "Sacred Valley of the Incas." It is about ten miles north of Cusco. The Urubamba valley is an agricultural zone, which means lots of fresh vegetables for Cusco (yum!). It also means the climate is pleasant and, as it is a valley, it lies at a lower elevation than Cusco. There are ruins of Inca cities to be seen outside of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, as well as individual ancient structures throughout the countryside. The "Indian market" at Pisac is particularly popular. We lunched in a town called Yucay, where there is a wonderful hotel named Hotel San Agustín. I would recommend the hotel to any visitor.
The ruins at Ollantaytambo are spectacular. This is where the last Inca ruler, Manco Inca, retreated when the conquistador Pizarro defeated the Incas in 1536 at Sacsayhuaman. The steep terraces led to a minor setback for the Spanish conquistadors. Although it is now called a fortress, it was originally a religious ceremonial site.
When I get more time, I will add my photos of Cusco and Machu Picchu to this page. Sites within the city of Cusco include more than half a dozen museums. For now, you can view a picture of el Tejanito y su Madrecita en Peru (the only photo of Tejanito that you will find on this site). Some photos to come include:
The main city square is called the Plaza de Armas, or Military Plaza. The Plaza is bordered by the main cathedral, which does not have a name and is referred to simply as La Catedral, and a smaller colonial era church called La Compañia .
As in other Spanish cities, there are smaller plazas in other areas of the city. Plaza San Francisco, in front of San Francisco church, is a good example.
Throughout the city, you can see examples of original Inca construction, or Inca walls. Not only historic museums, churches and residences, but also restaurants, hotels, shops and the city library contain Inca walls.
End of Article
Updated: 06 June 1999
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