The capital of the Inca Empire (founded AD 1100), Cusco today is a fascinating mix of Inca and colonial Spanish architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. Almost every central street has remains of Inca walls, arches and doorways that serve as the foundation for the colonial and modern buildings. More archaeological sites are abundant in the nearby area and towns. Narrow alleys of whitewashed houses with sky-blue and bottle-green shutters open out onto elegant squares with stone-hewn fountains and elegant restaurants and posadas (inns). Colorful murals depicting historical scenes can be seen on countless walls and indigenous women with braids and embroidered shawls set up makeshift stalls selling woven blankets and handmade crafts and jewelry. Shops around the main square are open all week from dawn to midnight, but close for about two hours during lunch. There is a wide array of hotels, hostels, pensions and family houses, as well as restaurants and other services related to tourism. Cusco also has a good choice of nightlife.
The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the foundations of the Inca Temple of the Sun, Qoricancha, (Quechua for golden courtyard: its walls were covered in solid gold sheets, much to the delight of the gold-hungry Spanish invaders). Heavy doors leading into the cloisters are now adorned with Moorish star- and diamond-shape patterns. The cloisters are lined with oil paintings in heavy gilt frames that depict scenes from the life of St Dominic. Remains of the original Inca temple walls are found inside the main courtyard. The Incas built these walls tapering upwards so that they would withstand earthquake tremors. Huge blocks of green and grey diorite stone were placed together in a perfect fit without mortar, perfectly demonstrating the sophisticated Inca engineering and architectural skills. A further example of Inca skill with polygonal masonry is seen in the Stone of Twelve Angles.
The elegant Plaza de Armas, or main square, is lined with arcades and houses with ornately carved wooden balconies and terracotta tiled roofs. Dominating the square is the Cathedral, which is flanked on the left by the Church of Jesús María. Its altar is elaborately carved from cedarwood that is covered in gold and silver plate (plateresco) and mirrors. In the cathedral there are several notable features, from the 400kg (882lb) main altar fashioned from silver mined in Potosí, Bolivia, to the 1958 silver-plated truck, that carries some 14 statues in the annual Corpus Christi procession. 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. Marcos Zapata’s painting, La Ultima Cena (The Last Supper) has the apostles with ghostly white pallor, while Judas is given the darker skin coloring of an Indian and, stretched out in the center of the table, is a local Inca delicacy – cuy, or roast guinea pig. To the right of the cathedral is the Church of El Triunfo. Inside, a painting commissioned by Alonso Cortés de Monroy depicts the great earthquake of 1650 with the inhabitants praying to El Señor de los Temblores (Lord of the Earthquakes). Underneath the chapel are commemorative plaques to Garcilaso Inca de la Vega, Inca chronicler, whose remains were returned from Spain to Cusco several years ago. Other sites of interest include the Museo de Arte Religioso, Museo Palacio Municipal, Museo de Historia Nacional. Visitors should purchase a Cusco Visitors Card available from the Tourist Information Office on the main square, that allows the bearer entrance to all of the Inca sites surrounding Cusco, including the town’s museums.