In the imposing Cordillera de los Andes, at an altitude of three thousand four hundred meters, is Cuzco or Cusco, as the Peruvians call it. The city was the political center of the Inca Empire and an important commercial and cultural center during its Spanish time. In this city vestiges of both empires coexist in harmony. Its streets, its squares and its people are the product of a crossbreeding of cultures that has managed to take the best of each one.
Every trip to Peru passes, yes or yes, through Cusco. Although the beauty and charm of this city is reason enough to place it at the top, it is its privileged location, between high peaks next to the Sacred Valley, and its status as the gateway to Machu Pichu that has made tourists arrive to Cusco.
For years, many have regretted when after the first walk they had to leave, having been able to sense the charm of this city without actually enjoying it. Therefore, you have to think about it and dedicate the time it deserves to Cusco.
The visit to Cusco begins and ends in the Plaza de Armas. This square has always been the heart of the city. First the Incas, whose nobles lived in the palaces that surrounded it; later the Spaniards, who transformed the square with the characteristic colonial architecture and, in the XXI century, it is the atmosphere and the life that makes, wherever you go, in a way that is difficult to explain, this square attracts your steps until you come back again and again. You will never get tired.
Perhaps it is because it offers the possibility of contemplating the imposing and wonderful Renaissance façade of the Cathedral of Cusco. Both the exterior and the rich interior of this temple, built on ancient Inca buildings, make it one of the most beautiful temples on the continent. Without leaving the square or the cult temples, you can also see the Temple of the Company of Jesus, a beautiful example of Andean baroque and another reason why walking through the Plaza de Armas is a real delight.
Spread around the city and many of them built on ancient Inca temples or palaces, temples and beautiful churches dot every corner of Cusco. A good example is the Temple and Convent of La Merced, a Baroque building that has the honor of housing a custodian (where the host is kept once consecrated) of gold and precious stones over a meter high and 20 kilos in weight .
We left the square to climb the slopes of the Barrio de San Blas. Steep cobbled streets populated by beautiful colonial houses that are home to restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops and artisan shops, make a walk through this neighborhood a good exercise for the body and a pleasure for the senses. The views of Cusco and a good dinner will be the reward for the effort.
The Mercado de San Pedro is another of the places where you can feel the heartbeat of the city. Food, crafts and almost anything you need is a bustling and colorful market, where you can also eat very well and at a ridiculous price.
After all this we still have a lot of Cusco to discover, but not all the secrets can be revealed, there are places that it is better to discover by yourself.
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