Half day
Cusco Cathedral – Qoricancha – Sacsayhuamán – Qenqo – Puka Pukara – Tambomachay
Pickup and Cusco Cathedral: the Flamenco Travel team will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at the scheduled time and take you to meet your guide. Our first visit is the Cusco Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas. It was built on top of Inca Wiracocha's palace, next to the Chapel of El Triunfo, which stands on the former Suntur Wasi temple. Inside you'll see altars, cedar and alder carvings, embossed silverwork and an important collection of Cusco School paintings, which blend European techniques with Andean elements.
Historic center and Qoricancha: a short walk through the streets of the historic center, where Inca walls stand alongside colonial buildings, takes us to Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun. It was the main temple of the Sun god, and according to the chroniclers its walls were covered in sheets of gold. Your guide will explain how the Convent of Santo Domingo was built on top of its polished Inca stone walls.
Sacsayhuamán: we'll drive up to Sacsayhuamán, in the upper part of the city, with panoramic views of Cusco. Its huge stone blocks, some weighing up to 40 tons, fit together with precision. Your guide will tell you about its ceremonial and strategic role, the great battle between the Incas and the Spanish, and its connection to Inti Raymi.
Qenqo: Qenqo, meaning "labyrinth," is a sacred site of rock formations, passageways and carved spaces. It has a semicircular amphitheater with niches, a monolith about six meters tall shaped like a puma, and a cave with a table or altar where farming rituals were held.
Puka Pukara: Puka Pukara, the "red fortress," has rooms, plazas, aqueducts and watchtowers. It is believed to have been a checkpoint on one of the roads into the Inca city and a tambo, or resting place, for the Inca's entourage.
Tambomachay and return: our last stop is Tambomachay, with water channels and fountains that still work today. There you'll learn about the role of water in the Andean worldview and about Inca hydraulic engineering. Then we'll head back to Cusco, and the tour ends near the Plaza de Armas.
