Cusco

We’d spent two nights in Cusco before our trek to Machu Picchu, but hadn’t really seen the city outside of our hostel (because of side trips). Our first day after Machu Picchu, we wandered all over that dang city. We joined up with a free walking tour, but ducked out within the first 10 min.; too much “Can everyone hear me?” for our taste.

The cathedral on the Plaza de Armas

On our own, we checked out the museum at Qoricancha, which had been an Inca temple but had been replaced by a Catholic church by the Spaniards, of course. The museum was small, but taught us all about how the Inca people would take their mummies to social events and feed them. It also had some examples of cranial deformations, which were done intentionally to babies to mimic the shape of the mountains.

Our afternoon quest was to find a market. Those of us who were actually trying to follow a map got all kinds of turned around, and we walked the opposite direction of our goal several times. We did finally find a market we’d been seeking, just past hanging meat, including goats heads and puppy(?) skeletons, in the street.

The next day was Mom and Dad’s last day in Perú. In the morning, we walked outside of our tourist map to a statue of Pachacutec, one of the best well-known Inca leaders. The inside of the tower gave information about the Quechua people as you worked your way up, and the top afforded a good view of the city.

At the nearby bus station, Alan and I bought bus tickets for our upcoming return to Puno. Then, the family taxied back to the Plaza de Armas. But we couldn’t quite get into the plaza, because the roads were blocked off for a demonstration to celebrate Peruvian Independence Day. I had read that Peruvians usually extended their independence celebrations to two days: July 27 and 28, but this was only the 24^th! The taxi driver told us that this went on for at least a week, and he was right.

But on the 24^th, the demonstration was done by school children. Students from probably age 9 or 10 through high school spent hours forming lines, kicking their legs high, waving flags, and doing synchronized squats to celebrate their country. Some had instruments, but most just marched in place for hours. We bought juices from a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the plaza to watch.

Students grouped by school; each has a different uniform.

Overlooking the Plaza 

We bade my parents farewell as they boarded a taxi for the airport. Alan and I returned to the plaza, where the same ol’ marching routine went on for a while. We spent our afternoon at an Inca Museum and a Spanish and English bookstore. (Alan was out of reading material, and I wanted to peruse Spanish children’s books for my classroom.)

That evening, we went to a free performance displaying Peruvian traditional dances. The signs had advertised that the event began at 5:30, so we arrived at the Cultural Center about 15 min. early. Silly us! We should have taken into account that this is a free event offered in Latin America. The thing didn’t start until about 6:30. It was interesting, though! High-school aged kids from around the country had come to show various traditional dances from the high mountains, the jungle, and several cities.