Shaman–MOVIE

This morning I went on an optional Gate 1 tour named “Behind the Scenes.” The first item on the tour was a Peruvian shaman who came to our hotel for a healing ceremony. The shaman placed many items on a cloth after blessing some of them. Then the cloth was tied up and he placed it on each of our heads while giving a blessing. He was speaking either Spanish or Quechua, one of the three main languages of Peru (the other one is Aymara). Julio, our tour manager, translated. Shamans are used in Peru for spiritual healing and for cures for illness. Shaman ceremonies are also popular with tourists. It was an interesting experience.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/sD2Ua7SMiuQ

Mercado

Our next stop was at a big mercado, a market. This was the third market I had been to in Peru. They were all very similar but with enough difference to make them all worthwhile to go to. Photo: The large fruit section of the market.

Mercado

We saw this woman, on the right, buying food for her guinea pigs. I imagine that she raises them for sale as they are eaten as a delicacy Peru.

Mercado

This was the first vendor in any of the three markets that sold her offerings––some kind of seafood––from the floor. It was sad to see.

People on the Street

People seen on the street from our bus: a woman in Andean clothing, a baby being carried on a back, and a bored–looking teenager.

Murals

Our next stop was at Cementerio General de Almudena where there were murals along its walls. This one is of the Virgen del Carmen procession in Cuzco.

Murals

A second mural on the cemetery wall.

Church

The cemetery’s church with a bell tower in the Spanish style. You see similar bell towers at some of the California missions, also built by the Spanish.

Cemetery

Inside the Cementerio General de Almudena.

Mausoleum

The cemetery had a very large mausoleum.

Mausoleum Music-MOVIE

At the mausoleum, people can hire someone to shine up the outside of a vault––they use limes and rags––and also singers as it is supposed to be a happy occasion to visit the mausoleum.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/VZzUQtl716g

Cooking Lesson

The last item on our Cuzco Behind the Scenes tour was a cooking lesson of how to make lomo saltado, a Peruvian beef stirfry.

I have put my photos of the Behind the Scenes tour on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/behind–the–scenes–tour/ (Slide Shows, South America, Peru, Cuzco, “Behind the Scenes Tour”).

Plaza de Armas

This afternoon we had a city tour of Cuzco. Our first stop was at the beautiful Plaza de Armas that has three churches. The large church on the right is the Cuzco Cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin. It was completed in 1654 but construction of it started about 100 years before and was constructed over the sacred Inca site of Kiswarkancha. The Spanish wanted to wipe out the Inca religion and one way to do this was to destroy the Inca’s religious temples and sites and to build Spanish Catholic churches on top of these sites.

Plaza de Armas

A small church next to and attached to the cathedral is the Iglesia del Triunfo (the Church of Triumph), the first Christian church to be built in Cuzco. Construction began in 1536 and it was also built over the Inca site of Kiswarkancha.

Plaza de Armas

Also on the plaza is the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus (Church of the Society of Jesus), a Jesuit church built on the Inca palace of Amarucancha. Consruction of it began in 1576 and it was rebuilt in 1668 after being damaged by an earthquake in 1650.

Women with Goats

On my walk from the Plaza de Armas to our next destination, I encountered two women carrying their decorated goats. I asked if I could take their photos.

Church and Convent of Santo Domingo

Our last destination was at the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo. The church and the convent were built at the site of Koricancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun and one of the Inca’s most important religious sites. But not all the Inca walls were destroyed by the Spanish. Instead, they used the walls as the foundation of the church and convent.

Church and Convent of Santo Domingo

The walls were built by the Incas using “ashlor masonry” composed of similarly sized stones. There were sheets of gold on the walls and the floors.

I have put my photos of our Cuzco City Tour on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/city–tour/ (Slide Shows, South America, Peru, Cuzco, “City Tour”).