An Ode to Inca
Popular as the main gateway to Machu Picchu,
the Peruvian city of Cusco was the ancient centre
of the Inca civilization
The
word “navel-gazing“ takes on a new meaning in the
small town of Cusco in Peru. The town's name
Qosq'o in
the
local Quechua language means “navel of the world“.
To
the ancient Inca civilisation, this was indeed the centre
of
their uni verse, their political and administrative hub
for
over two centuries from the 13th century on.
It
is also the oldest continuously inhabited city in
South
America.
According
to a UNESCO World Heritage report on Cusco,
it
represents the sum of 3,000 years of indigenous and
autonomous
cultural development in the Peruvi an southern
Andes.
As I explore Cusco on foot, this much is evident.
And
I could un derstand why a few days earlier, a contact
at
the local tourism board in Lima had said, “Cusco has a
special
energy, you will feel it as soon as you walk in the city.“
Cusco
is popular among tourists as the main gateway city
to
Machu Picchu, but in my eyes, it has enough to
recommend
it as a destination in itself. It has a languid
European
charm about it, with its cobblestone lanes,
baroque
cathedrals and, above all, open-air plazas buzzing
with
activity through the day and late into the night.
Yet,
it is undoubtedly Andean in its cul ture, visible mainly
in
the Quechua women in their traditional costume of
colourful
skirts and bowling hats on the streets.
Some
of the younger ones have babies tucked inside
colourful,
handwoven shawls tied to their backs. They
lead
llamas on a rope, with baby lambs tucked under
their
arms, posing for photos for tourists in exchange
of
tips.
I
begin my tour of Cusco with Qorikan cha, literally the
“golden
enclosure“, which also contains the Temple of
the
Sun. The bulbous domes of this temple, once the
richest
in the Incan empire, are visible through my hotel
windows.
It is said to have contained riches beyond belief,
with
temple walls covered in thick gold sheets.
Nothing
remains of it today, since it was looted in its
entirety
by the Spanish conquistadors who entered the
country
in the 1600s. We walk through the grand chapel
into
narrow corridors lining the open courtyard. Many of
the
original walls remain, created with large stone blocks,
finely
cut and fitted without mortar, like giant jigsaw puzzles.
It
is not surprising when our guide mentions that Incan
stonework
skill is comparable to ancient Egyptians'.
At
the cathedral, I see more signs of the fusion between
local
Quechua and colonial Spanish ethos. Although the
Holy
Trinity has long taken the place of pagan gods, distinct
local
touches are everywhere.
One
striking example is the Black Jesus, the El Senor de
los
Temblores, or Lord of the Earthquakes. Our guide
Natalie
says that the colour comes from the native maguey
wood
used in the crucifix. Then there is the Virgin Mary
depicted
everywhere in triangular skirts, surrounded by
water;
in other words, mountains and rivers to indicate
that
she is the Pachamama (Mother Earth) that they
have
revered for ages.
Art
Repository
The
cathedral is also a repository of stunning paintings
from
the Cusco school style, which married European
devotional
art with Andean symbols and beliefs.
The
most startling example is the rendition of The Last
Supper
by Quechua artist Marcos Zapata. In it, a guinea
pig
(cuy, also a local delicacy) sits in the middle of the
table.
There is also a theory that Judas in this painting
-dark-skinned
to indicate evil and clutching his purse of
gold
-is modelled after Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro
who
first conquered the Inca empire. Outside, Plaza de
Armas
presents a tableau that lends itself to people
watching.
Once called Huacaypata, this square was at
the
heart of the Incan city. Vendors are busy haranguing
tourists
to buy their silver pendants, wooden artefacts
and
oil paintings.
We
then head out on a minor excursion to nearby
Sacsaywaman
(also called Sacsayhuaman), the site
containing
ruins of an Incan fortress. Once again, the
highlight
is the massive megalithic stones fitted together
without
mortar, so precisely that it is impossible to pass
even
a sheet of paper between two.
After
exploring the ruins, we walk to a corner of the hilltop
to
take in the sprawling views of Cusco, with its sloping
red
tileroofed houses and ornate stone churches.
The
Cristo Blanca -White Christ --statue stands in the
distance,
a replica of the larger one in Rio.
Our
next stop was at Qenqo, where the cave stays icy
cold
even in peak summers.It is believed that this site
was
used for mummification by the Incas. Later at the
Inka
Museum in town, I see a few of these mummies,
and
other glorious artefacts that point to a sophisticated era.
Lonely
Planet guidebook says that food is central to
Peruvian
life, and the big existential question that haunts
locals
is what to eat for the next meal. It is no wonder
then
that wonderchef Gaston Acurio is a popular hero
in
the country. At his fine-dine restaurant Chicha, there
are
large groups waiting to get in. A Peruvian friend who
has
taken me for dinner there comments that if Acurio
stands
for president, he has a sure chance of getting
elected.
Like
many travellers, I had gone to Peru with the image
of
Machu Picchu fixed firmly in my mind, not knowing
what
to expect beyond that. While I do use Cusco as a
base
for my Machu Picchu trip, I am also glad for this
chance
to discover this delightful ancient city.
|
ETM131116
No comments:
Post a Comment