Cusco, Peru - Day 3

So my high school friend Matt arrived early in the morning and we kicked off the adventurous part of our next two weeks together with a tour of 4 archeological sites of Inca importance.

The first was Qorikancha (from the Quechua words Quri Kancha meaning 'Golden Courtyard'). It was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God. It was one of the most revered and respected temples of the city of Cusco, Peru. The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold, and the courtyard was filled with golden statues. Spanish reports tell of its opulence that was 'fabulous beyond belief'.

The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the site, using the ruined foundations of the temple that was flattened by the Spanish in the 17th century, and is a fine example of where Inca stonework has been incorporated into the structure of a colonial building. Major earthquakes have severely damaged the church, but the Inca stone walls, built out of huge, tightly-interlocking blocks of stone, still stand thanks to the sophisticated stone masonry.

The next stop was Saqsaywaman located 2km from the Cusco. The Incas called it the House of the Sun and the Spaniards called it a fortress because of its zig-zag shape and the 1536 revolution. The construction, which is made up of three platforms one on top of the other, was one of the most important religious complexes of its time. The enormous boulders that form part of the construction were put together perfectly without using mortar. The heaviest weighs up to 125 tons. Archaeologists are currently excavating and have discovered water fountains, canals and rooms. In a nearby flat area, every June 24 local inhabitants hold the Festival of the Sun, or Ind Raymi.

Despite all of these fascinating archeological sites, the highlight of our day was trying the local delicacy of Cuy, otherwise known as a guinea pig. Most of the locals that I spoke with raved about this dish, and I was eager to give it a try. Admittedly, a guinea pig, what some people refer to as a pet, is a bit unconventional as a food item but some people have pot belly pigs as pets and I’m not going to give up pork. I have eaten some weird things before in my travels including insects, baby chickens inside an egg, and spoiled soy beans so I figured this couldn’t be much worse. We got it in a fancy restaurant with mostly refined middle aged patrons who shrieked in joy and amazement when the roasted tailless rat was brought to our table. Or perhaps it was horror. We got the baked version instead of the fried one and the skin was rather chewy. There wasn’t much meat on the Cuy and the meat that was there wasn’t really that flavorful. Perhaps they toned the spices down to account for a tourist palate but I didn’t see what there was to rave about. The 20 minutes of pictures and posing was better than the food.

Cusco, Peru - Day 3