The day after we arrived in Cusco, Peru we met up with our guide, Betty, for a walking tour of the city.
Where Cusco now stands was the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th into the 16th century until the Spanish conquest.
Modern structures have been built on top of inca ruins with the amazing stone work of ancient artisans still plainly visible today.
We walked, we talked…we felt the stones that ancient hands had chiseled and carved so painstakingly to fit together like a puzzle – like a stone crazy quilt –without mortar.
Stone upon stone upon stone.
The stones are not uniform size, they are all random, and yet they fit together like tongue in groove – dovetailed with no gaps.
How did they do it??
More stone walls.
See how they fit?
See how they shape each one?
Chisels and hammers. Ancient stones. I traced my fingers along each groove, placing my hand where ancient hands had been.
If this wall had been built in the 1100s ---did they know it would still be standing today?
Our group listening raptly to Betty’s stories!
Those stones are massive!
The streets are also crowded with school kids!
Hola!!
Aren’t the faces just beautiful?
Ancient door ways.
And even ornate balconies that date to the 1700s!
Close up view.
Would you go out and stand on this thing??
Just gorgeous!
Women in traditional Peruvian dress.
If you happen to see people ornately dressed like this, be prepared to PAY them to have your photo taken with them. It’s how they make their living, walking the tourist areas in costume for the opportunity to make a few "sol" ((Peruvian money))by posing with tourists.
Snuck a photo of this guy..he wanted my money too!
An ancient window over head.
The cathedral in the square!
Though a few of us had been here the day before, and had taken the tour inside, our group was able to go in quietly as mass was being celebrated. A whole group of young boys, all in white shirted school uniforms were celebrating their first communion, and the community had come out in droves mid morning to celebrate with them.
No photos are allowed inside the cathedral, but it was awesome to be able to quietly be a fly on the wall, to hear the singing to the light of candles and feel the ancientness of this place that was built upon the foundations of an Inca palace.
Our group on the steps afterwards!
Karma follows our actions and our attitudes, and perhaps there was some Inca Revenge in store if they ate something or drank something they shouldn’t have…LOL!
Check out the clouds over the square!
Intently stitching hexies!
And just in case you were wondering, yes, we did have class in Cusco as well as class back at Cieba Tops during the Amazon portion of our trip!
I’m trying to break my photos down into batches by activity. And believing that sometimes less is more, and that too many photos with too many events in one blog post leaves things to be glossed over or quickly passed by, I’m going to end this one here!
From here we went on a panoramic bus tour outside of Cusco, up and up and up so that we could explore some other ruins and get a view of the city from above.
I’ll be posting that tomorrow!
Meanwhile – my bag has arrived in Greensboro and I’ll be heading to the airport to pick it up after a dentist appointment this afternoon. Guess who chipped a molar while chewing gum on the day I just posted above?! Yes, it’s always fun when the gum is suddenly crunchy.
QUILT-CAM heads up –Let’s shoot for Sunday afternoon at 2pm Eastern. My evening hours are all screwed up even though I didn’t change time zones on this trip. I’ll send out another reminder as the day and time get closer, but mark your calendars. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do a quilt-cam!
Monday I head out for some teaching and lecturing in Columbia, SC! Back on the road again -- with hopes of seeing my son Jason during my off hours, if he is in town.
Have a great ((What day is it again?! Oh yes!)) Thursday, Everyone!
5 comments:
So enjoyable to take this armchair trip with you. What fabulous history you experienced. And how I admire your energy and stamina!
What a funny story about the couple that would't move. Some people are so strange.
Love your photos!!
great pictures, some of the stones look like replaced since earthquake.
did you buy fabric
Ah yes, the crunchy gum....the same as my crunchy hamburger one day for lunch. Side of a tooth with a big filling broke off. The dentist concluded that the nerve wasn't exposed and the filling and the rest of the tooth were solid so it got left in place since I wasn't having any pain. Why can't our teeth just last for life?
I've been enjoying the pictures & posts from your Peru trip. It's as close as I'll ever get to a place like that.
Glad you arrived home safely. Sadie looks like she has claimed a quit of her own and is not wanting you to leave again very soon. Won't she be happy knowing that "Family Time" is about to start! Being an armchair traveler with you was so enjoyable. Thank you for the experience.
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