Main Attractions in Cusco City

Cusco is packed with historical mansions, impressive monuments, beautiful churches, and surprising corners. The Inca and Spanish-baroque aesthetics permeate the whole city, and though in some buildings one predominates over the other, they often converge in an unique Mestizo architecture where both superimposed layers and a subtle syncretism can be found.

The Main Square
Known in Inca times as Huacaypata, or "the warriors' square", this was the scene for many key events in Cusco's history: it was here that the conquistador Francisco Pizarro declared Cusco under Spanish occupation; it was also here that Túpac Amaru I, leader of the indigenous resistance movement, was killed. The Main Square also hosted to the spectacular Inti Raymi, or festival of the Sun. With the arrival of the Spanish the plaza was fringed by beautiful stone arches which remain in place to this day. Across from the Main Square are the Cathedral and La Compañía church.

The Cathedral
Built between 1560 and 1664 out of large slabs of red granite taken from the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the Cathedral is one of the most imposing structures in the city. Its façade, built in Renaissance style, contrasts with the Baroque and silver of its lavish interior. It also houses important collections of gold and silver work of the colonial period, elaborately engraved wooden altars and a beautiful collection of oil on canvas paintings from the Escuela Cuzqueña.

On either side of the slabs of red granite are two small auxiliary chapels. One of these, the Del Triunfo church, in fact Cusco's first Cathedral, was built in 1539 on top of the palace of Inca Wiracocha.

La Compañía Church
Considered one of the finest examples of colonial Baroque architecture in the Americas, the construction of this church was begun by the Jesuits in 1576 on what was the Amarucancha, or palace of Inca Huayna Cápac. The spectacular façade made of carved stone and its great altar, elaborately covered in cedar and gold leaf and built on top of an underground chapel, are among its most notable features. The church also houses a large collection of sculptures and paintings by the most renowned artists from the Escuela Cuzqueña. The church is flanked by the Lourdes chapel and the ancient oratory of San Ignacio de Loyola.

La Merced Convent and Church
Built in the sixteenth century and rebuilt on numerous occasions as a result of earthquakes which have leveled the city, the convent possesses one of the most beautiful Baroque-Renaissance cloisters in all Peru, decorated with beautiful choir stalls built in the plateresque style, and numerous engravings. It also houses colonial paintings and a very distinctive piece: a tabernacle made of gold and precious stones measuring 1.3 m long and weighing 22 kg, studded with a giant mermaid-shaped pearl (the second-largest pearl in the world).

Koricancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo
The convent was built on the spectacular Koricancha ("site of gold"), the most important temple dedicated to the worship of the Sun and whose walls were plated with sheets of gold. The convent was built on a foundation of smoothened stone structures -the most finely crafted in Cusco- taken from the Inca sanctuary.

The façade of the convent is an excellent example of Renaissance art and its distinctive spire, built in Baroque style, stands out over the thatched roofs of the Cusco skyline. Like the two churches mentioned above, it houses an impressive collection of canvas paintings from the Escuela Cuzqueña.

San Blas Quarter
Also known as "the craftsmen's district", San Blas is one of the most picturesque parts of the city, with its long, inclined narrow streets that zigzag across old estates, which were built with Inca stones, and its tranquil squares. The church of San Blas, built in 1563, is the oldest parish church in Cusco and has an impressive pulpit, considered to be the colonial period's most outstanding example of engraved wood. Furthermore this district, with one of the finest views of the city, is home to the workshops and stores of the most renowned craftsmen in Cusco, including Hilario Mendívil, Edilberto Mérida, Santiago Rojas and Maximiliana Palomino.

Hatun Rumiyoc Street
This is perhaps the best-known street in the city. One of its cut-stone walls, (which at present forms part of the Palace of the Archbishop) features the famous 12-cornered stone, which was once part of the ancient palace of Inca Roca, one of the rulers of Tahuantinsuyo or Incan Empire. This lively street is a gateway to the picturesque San Blas quarter.

Source: PromPerú (Comission for the Promotion of Peru).

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