It is an interesting blend of Spanish colonialism and Inca tradition. The Spaniards conquered the Incas in 1532 and set about to build as many churches as possible. In and around the main plaza you will find 5 or 6 large cathedrals. Some were built using the Inca stones as their foundation.
The people in the highlands wear the traditional dress to a great extent. But in town you see some that dress up for the tourists. Mostly young girls carrying a lamb or a with a small alpaca. And for $0.50 you can have a photo of them. Thanks to my zoom lens and a seat on a balcony in the square I played paparazzi while sipping my coffee.
THE LOCAL RUINS
The city tour consisted of visits to the sites in and around the city. The most fascinating was the visit to Sacsayhuaman. Incredible! I can't think what else to say. I won't give you all the history of the Incas as you can read that on any website about Peru. Also, most of what they say is purely speculation and the stories tend to vary from one tour guide to another. Considered one of the great Inca sites, Sacsayhuaman was looted after the conquest by the Spaniards and used the stones from the site for other constructions. To make it even worse, in the early 1900's the area was sold to a private land owner who used the site as a quarry, selling off even more of the stones. Despite that, it is still an awesome place. What we saw was just a small fraction of the area which is said to cover 60 hectares, much of it still buried.
From there we made some quick stops at a few other sites in the area. It is the rainy season here and we get some sudden showers now and then. But it does add a little color to some of the photos.
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