CUSCO, PERU

Where do I begin describing this amazing visit to what the Incas called the "navel of the earth"? I learned so much about this ancient Incan civilization, but there's so much more to discover. And seeing their incredible architecture made us marvel at their brilliance and sheer determination to succeed.

Much of this city, nestled at over 11,000 feet high in the Andes mountains, is built on the ruins and foundations of structures originally built by the ancient Incas between the 14th and 16th centuries. The Spanish conquistadores led by Francisco Pizzaro destroyed most of their buildings when they conquered the Incas in 1532.

Our first stop was the former Qorikancha temple which today is the Dominican Convent and Church of Santo Domingo del Cusco. A display shows how the different rocks were shaped and used in constructing the mortarless walls that were earthquake proof. Their tools were other rocks that were heavy lava or contained high amounts of iron. The walls were put together like jigsaw pieces that interlocked so tightly that a knife blade wouldn't fit between them! Doorways were narrower at the top (13 degree angle) for added strength and corners were often a single rock formed at right angles around the doorway. They used gold leaf and silver as decorations to the gods, but most of this was removed by the Spaniards and sent to Spain. Incas believed gold was the sweat of the sun and silver was the tears of the moon.

We also visited the main cathedral of Cusco which was built by the Spaniards and was in both baroque and neo classic styles. It is actually 3 churches: the Holy Family Church, the Main Cathedral and the Triumph. The most unique painting is The Last Supper, which shows a roast guinea pig on a platter in the center of the table. Guinea pigs were considered a delicacy and are still used for celebrating special occasions.

Our heads reeling from all the information we'd been given, we proceeded by bus to the Saqsaywaman (Sexy Woman) National Park. Cusco was considered a Holy City and its temples were always built on the tops of hills so they would be close to the sun. People would travel from all parts of the empire to watch the sunrise in this temple. The supporting walls were hand shaped from limestone and were placed in a zigzag position for extra strength to resist earthquakes. It had 3 levels, and the top one was probably used for sacrifices.

Totally exhausted we passed by the Cristo Blanco statue overlooking the city lights as we drove to the hotel to prepare for the next exciting phase of our adventure.