Exceptional Experience: Visiting Cusco, Ancient Capital of the Inca Empire

The second stop on our 3-week Peru adventure was Cusco, headquarters of the Inca Empire and gateway to Machu Picchu. We set up base camp for the next eight days since numerous other excursions we had scheduled began here.

The city sits at an altitude of over 11,000 feet above sea level. We expected chilly nights and packed accordingly. High altitude also meant thin air, but since we live at 8,400 feet and do cardio several times a week at the gym we thought, “No problem breathing there for us.”

Wrong.

Somehow our research overlooked the fact that while the historic downtown area is relatively flat, the surrounding neighborhoods rise up dramatically.

And in the area where we were staying, the sidewalks and streets are perilously narrow. Walking at night was not a relaxing stroll.

When we returned to our Airbnb the first evening after going down, down, down one of these former donkey paths to dinner, Cynthia became so winded on the way back up we had to stop at a hotel to let her catch her breath. The kind hostess immediately gave her coca leaves to chew because they help with altitude sickness.

Uber turned out to be a lifesaver for the rest of our stay in Cusco. The discovery the following morning that a ride from our place to downtown was only $2 marked a welcomed and immediate end to our short urban trekking experience.

As in Lima, we joined a walking tour of the historic area and quickly learned that Plaza de Armas, Cusco’s main square, is a very busy place each Sunday.

We found ourselves weaving in and out of large crowds watching the festivities, which included all sorts of groups in costumes marching around, bands, even decorated dignitaries. It was quite an impressive spectacle and certainly elevated our tour experience.

The Spanish modus operandi throughout Latin America was to force the indigenous populations to tear down their temples and cities, then use the materials to build Catholic churches and other Colonial structures. Cusco was no exception. You can see the old stones used during construction of the Inca Empire in many of the buildings still standing today.

On an afternoon tour of the surrounding area we were blown away by how much incredible Inca architecture lies such a short distance from the city.

As the sun began to set, the light and shadows against the mountains created the opportunity for some stunning photographs.

The citadel Saqsaywaman was the final stop of the day. This site served as a military fortress protecting the capital during the Spanish invasion during the 16th century. Here some of the largest stones used anywhere in pre-Hispanic America were cut and fit together with remarkable precision. No mortar was ever used.

It was fun spending some of our free time in Cusco shopping for high quality alpaca products. We learned how to identify the real thing by its soft texture and coolness to the touch. Turns out most of the cheaper items sold by street vendors are not pure alpaca and, in some cases, imported from China.

In this part of the world they not only wear alpaca, they also eat it. Edd tried alpaca in lomo saltado, one of Peru’s favorite fusion dishes found on most menus. There were chunks of tenderloin in a special sauce with peppers and onions along with typical sides. The meat was not at all gamey and tasted sort of like bison. Delicious!

After ordering numerous traditional Pisco Sour cocktails (Pisco is a type of Peruvian brandy) with a lime base in Lima, we branched out and tried one with passion fruit. Outstanding! 👍

Lights out, Cusco. Next time — an epic trip to Machu Picchu.