Plaza de Armas, my favorite thus far, is surrounded by two stone churches, restaurants, and shops. Linger too long and someone will definitely try to sell you postcards, candy, or an alpaca sweater.
A sea of terra cotta roofes climb up from the plaza into the surrounding hillsides.
Coming from sea level in Lima we were advised to take it easy the first day and allow time to acclimate before rushing out to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Besides taking Diamox prescribed in the US to ease altitude sickness, we also drank Mate de Coca which is made from the same coca leaves that cocaine is chemically derived from.
My first cup of Coca Tea, after burning my lip, did indeed help my headache.
Not to worry (Mom and Dad), the analogy we heard is that mate de coca is to cocaine as poppy seed bagels are to opium. In fact, Pope John Paul II himself enjoyed a cup on his visit to Peru. Coca leaves have been drank and chewed for thousands of years serving as a pain killer as well as a hunger and fatigue suppressant. After the Spanish conquered the area in the 1500s, they originally banned the consumption of coca due to religious reasons however quickly realized their local labor pool for mining and other activities worked much more effectively (and with less food) with coca leaves and reversed the decision. The United States has tried to eradicate coca plantations in Peru and many local politicians voice frustration over what they consider our blind policy and lack of consideration for their coca leaf tradition.
Being one week from Easter we read of a religious ceremony that evening which we decided to check out. By dark we had made it to middle of the plaza and became insanely squished in by what we felt must have been every inhabitant in Cusco. After a chilly one hour wait a precession including a hand carried float with Jesus on top, lite by red lights, lumbered up the main street towards the church. Just before entering, several of the local police and fire trucks turned on their sirens for a couple of minutes which was followed by a roar from the clapping and cheering crowd. The church doors slowly opened allowing the Jesus float to stroll into the church.
Shortly after, the crowd began to clear the square and we found ourselves caught in a river of people which quickly began pushing and leaning into our backs and pressing us into the people in front of us. Teenagers were gitty with the borderline chaos and we fought to keep our cool having no idea this followed the ceremony. Some small children and their parents were noticeable distraught as we neared the main bottleneck leaving the square so after considerable effort we heaved ourselves onto the nearby sidewalk to watch the river of people flow by for 20 minutes before proceeding back to our hotel happy to be "home".
Trin eating one of the many complimentary bread and jam breakfasts we've consumed each morning in South America ever since leaving the much more satisfying ones at Veronica's in Xela.
A random one foot deep plus hole in the sidewalk Trin inadvertently fell into as we explored the city. A bruise would linger for a couple of weeks. Note this is only a reenactment of the actual event earlier in the day.
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