Story and photography by Jean Borrie

Cradled in the Southeastern Andean Mountains is the ancient Inca city of Cusco. Breathtakingly beautiful the city has a lot to offer. Serving as the gateway to Machu Picchu visitors can spend many pleasant days sightseeing before a trip to the former Inca city. The architectural legacy of Cusco dates back to the Incas of the fifteenth century. With the arrival of the Spanish the city became an important site of Colonial and mestizo buildings.

The best way to explore Cusco is on foot starting with the main square Plaza del Armas. Dominating the northeast side is a beautiful grand cathedral built in the Renaissance style. It contains an important collection of nearly 400 colonial paintings. Next to the Cathedral is a baroque church with a spectacular facade made out of carved stone. Inside there is a stunning cedar altar, which has been finished in gold leaf. Colonial archways surrounding the rest of the square complete the grandeur of the plaza. In the center is a park dotted with benches so that visitors can soak in the idyllic setting.

Wandering up picturesque cobble stone streets leads to the San Blas quarter. From here the viewer is able to see the surrounding hills and countryside and get an excellent view of the city below. This is the area where many local artists and craftsmen live and work. Artifacts can be found in their small ateliers in the nearby streets. For those wishing to walk further pretty narrow streets lead to the fortress of Sascayhuaman, on the edge of town, which offers a great introduction to Inca archeology. Other attractions include various museums such as the Museo Inka which houses exquisite treasures from the Pre-Columbian Andean culture with ceramics, textiles and pottery.

Cusco is easy to navigate on foot. Small tranquil plazas scattered around the city offer visitors and locals many places to sit and relax. Small refreshment carts abound and sitting under the shade of a tree it is easy for time to slip by. A UNESCO world heritage site since 1983 Cusco means “center of the world” in the Quequa language. After bright sunny days and clear star-studded nights it its easy to see how this still holds true.

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