King’s Land
Thank you Mr. Piercy. In 11th grade, I learned an important lesson from your US history class. History is often written by the winners, not losers. To learn from it, question it. So instead of reading about US history through the filtered lens of a classic McGraw Hill textbook, you forced us to read (many) counterpoints and primary sources of the other side - from Native Americans, slaves, immigrants, women, environmentalists and troops. Progress, too often, came with grave costs and at the exclusion of many. Your class shed my world naïveté pretty quickly.
Visiting Cusco felt like opening one of Mr. Piercy’s contrarian books again. The city is a tale of two epic empires, the Incan and the Spanish. The Incans had believed Cusco was the center of the world (represented in painting above) until their fate collided, and ended, at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors. Both of their complicated histories can be read everywhere throughout the city, from its temple ruins and colonial churches to its mestizo people and local cuisine. It’s beautiful yet tragic, like any good story, and experiencing the historic city became one of the highlights of South America. We spent 5 days (outside of the Inca Trail) exploring the Cusco and the surrounding Sacred Valley. We were joined not only by Isha and Sasanka but also my sister Sonia, who I hadn’t seen since leaving New York (!), and Bijal, one of my closest childhood friends.
Exploring Cusco and the surrounding Sacred Valley
Arriving a day earlier than the group, Anushka and I had the bright idea of doing a bike tour to get a feel of the city. A few minutes in we were gasping for breath from the steep hills and 8,000 ft of elevation. Not another biker to be seen - no surprise. But it gave us a chance to get a view of the entire city from San Cristobal Church and imagine what it would have looked like 500 years ago. Back then, Cusco was the thriving capital of the Incan civilization, home to 9 million Quechua people and their royal rulers, called Incas. Before the city was decimated to 200,000 people by Spanish conquest, its golden roofs had casted one of the world’s most brilliant skylines and its impeccably constructed temples and roads had stretched to the farthest reaches of the empire, spanning as far north as Colombia to as far south as Chile. What a sight it must have been.
Biking through the Cusco with our Canadian friends, Mitch and Amy, to San Cristobal Church
There is no greater symbol of the conquered versus the conquerers in Cusco than Quoricancha. The temple was dedicated to the Incan sun god, Inti, and was considered to be one of the most sacred Incan sites before being destroyed. Today the Santo Domingo Church sits literally on top of its foundations, with remnants of a few perfectly built Incan walls on display inside. In a twist of irony, the remaining Incan walls have survived 2 different earthquakes over the last 500 years while the church’s construction has had to be repaired or entirely rebuilt each time. I guess the earth has a pretty dry sense of humor.
No clue how Incan walls built with no cement or metal tools withstood 2 earthquakes and 500 years of wear and tear 🤯
Surrounding Cusco lies the beautiful Sacred Valley, an essential day-trip from Cusco. From the crafty salt mines of Moras to the microclimate farming terraces of Moray to the epic mountain-carved forts of Ollantaytambo and Pisac, the sites in the Sacred Valley really make you appreciate Incan ingenuity. Without a written language, wheeled vehicles or construction metals, the Incans still were able to erect one of history’s great empires. And all of it still remains a mystery today!
Day tour of Sacred Valley
Cusco today, while still retaining its history, has obviously modernized. The city had a young energy that balanced the ancient ruins and colonial plazas, especially in the up and coming San Blas neighborhood. We ate at some great restaurants (don’t miss Greens for brunch, Kion for Peruivan-Chinese fusion, and Baco for mud-oven pizza), tried delicious local fruits at San Pedro Market (try a cherimoya or grandilla!), and found no lack of adorable Peruvian babies waddling around in alpaca sweaters.
Gotta try quinoa from its motherland
We’re tackling the Inca Trail next! Excited to soak up more history and for the challenge ahead.
