This day we begin our tour of the sites around Cuzco. It is rather daunting to realize that Cuzco is even higher in altitude than Macchu Picchu, but hopefully, there won't be so many hills to climb.
In the morning, our bus takes us to Chinchero to see a weaving demonstration and have a home hosted lunch. The weavers were all sitting outside to work, and were dressed in their native costumes. They were very colorful and had the flat hats that we often associate with Peruvian woman. I was amazed to learn that these flat hats had hidden "pockets" on the top where the woman could put money or small items.. and they used the padded underside of the hat brims as pincushions for their sewing needles.
There were several different kinds of weaving going on, as well as wool dying and spinning with drop spindles. When we arrived there were women dying wool in the courtyard with large vats of dye made with human urine... it turns the wool a color they call "indigo".. but it isn't as dark as the color of the botanical indigo. I will say, though, it did have an interesting, organic odor. We were told that the odor disapates in a few weeks. Well.. I would hope so!
It was a very interesting weaving demonstration with many kinds of looms and different patterns and colors of tradtitional weaving designs. The woven items that the women had for sale were magnificent. Also the large cloth shawl that the women use for carrying babies or bundles on their backs was demonstrated. It was all facinating.
After the weaving and buying of woven items it was time for lunch at the home of the lady who operates the weaving center.
We had soup, and veggies, nasty little rehydrated potatoes, and lovely tortillas.. which looked like corn fritters to us. They were delicious. Then comes the piece de resistance... the roasted guinea pig. More culture shock!
After the star of the meal was "admired" by all it was taken back to the kitchen to be cut for serving.. there was a lot of whimpering, moaning, and stomach gurggling noises around the table. Many opted out of the main course, delicacy that it was.
Gypsy was one of those who wanted to try the guinea pig... just a taste, mind you. It was very strong and gamey and rather dry. Whew. I am glad that I didn't much care for it... as I don't want to be running up a big tab at the local pet store when I get home!
After we settled our stomachs on the ride back to Cuzco, we went for a walking tour of Cuzco in the afternoon. We loved the markets.. the endless variety of things for sale.. from fresh produce and meat to dried llama and alpaca fetuses for rituals... or something.
In Cuzco, much of the central part of town is built on the foundations of the Inca sun temple that was the centerpiece of Cuzco in Inca times. The buiding foundations are the lovely Inca fitted, slanted walls with Spanish colonial buildings on top. What a temple site Cuzco must have been.
We visited the cathedral and admired the beautiful Spanish Colonial interior and alters. There was a very large painting of The Last Supper...and in this painting.. what is the main course? Why, guinea pig naturally...it looked just like the one we had for lunch. Oops...there go the whimpering and gurgling noises again!
On the following day we go to see the ruins of the sacred spring of Tambo Machay and the massive Sacsayhuaman fortress on a hilltop overlooking Cuzco. Oh, good.. more steps and hills.
It was interesting to learn that a tunnel was being excavated that leads from the sacred springs to the sun temple in Cuzco.. a distance of three miles. It is suspected that it was used by the Incan priests for their own purposes...like magically "appearing" in two places at once, maybe?
These were grand structures but so large that it was hard to take them in.. you could only see them in bits and pieces. Up until the 1950s we learned, people were free to take the Inca stones from these sites to build in Cuzco. It is a wonder that any are left.. which give an indication of the great sizes of these sites.
Today, traveling in the bus with us was a local Holy Man... what we would call a shaman. After the tour of the Inca places, we stopped along the road and walked to a nearby place where a small Inca temple site was located. It was here that the Holy Man... whose name is Enrique... was to perform a ritual for us. It is a cuandero healing ceremony which has Incan roots.
We sat around Enrique as he dispensed three coca leaves to us for our three "wishes". Then he set about preparing a bundle of herbs, and little items, chanting all the while. Then we put our wish-filled coca leaves on top of the little mound of "things". When we did this the shaman brushed us all over with a sacred little broom thingy to cleanse us of negativity. The whole bundle, including our coca leaves, was then wrapped and tied into a neat package. The package was the put into a fire to be be consumed as our wishes and the shaman's blessings were released. It was a lovely ceremony.. and I think we all enjoyed and appreciated it. Well.. most of us, anyway.
Back on the bus, the conversation with our guide turned to local remedies but only one pops to mind. If you take the head of a black dog and make a soup out of it.. it will cure insanity. This really works we are told!
We visited the church of Santo Domingo, which was built on top of the Inca sun temple.. the one where the tunnel ended. The Spanish used the Inca temple as the foundation for the church and the lovely walls were still there to admire.
This evening we had our "farewell" dinner in Cuzco, at a lovely restaurant near the Plaza de Armas. There was music and traditional folk dancers. It was an interesting performance.
