Cuzco: Weavings and Walls

After Arequipa, we traveled to Cuzco by plane, a flight on which we met up with our New Caledonian friends again. I will say, at the outset, that I was a little disappointed with Cuzco. Ancient Incan capital it may be, but it is now also the modern tourism capital of Peru, if not of all South America. Be prepared to be bombarded by hustlers: for restaurants, lodges, hotels, tours, shops, tacky souvenirs, you name it. Also the general out-stretched hand who has nothing to offer but a look of misery mixed with piety. Our second day in Cuzco I finally counted how many times I said "No, gracias" to the many who wished to empty my pocket of its pesos: 49 times. And this was certainly fewer than the first day. The reason? Our second afternoon we realized we needed another suitcase and had seen some nifty large bags being carried around. We ended up going on a three hour hike to a particular market to purchase this bag, a $2 suitcase. Audie even tried to bargain the price down with the 10-year-old kid who was selling it. Being such a traditional bag, it was a very effective disguise for tourists! Obviously everyone thought we were local gringo residents once we started carrying it around, for we were bothered no more.

Besides the tourism hassles of Cuzco, the altitude sickness and bus smog, there are a few treasures in the city like:

Incan walls. The precision that went into this stone-cutting is awesome. There were no holes or cracks in this wall. Every stone a perfect fit with every other. It's really quite impressive! And Cuzco has the best examples of this remaining architecture and stonework.

Nifty narrow alleyways. Again, remaining from Incan times.

And best of all, I would say: The Center for Traditional Textiles. Our friend Jo had been to Peru a few months before our trip and highly recommended we stop here (& later gave me a wonderful book written by the founder, all about Peruvian weaving and textiles: thanks again Jo!) We loved this place, a living museum and research center. We actually bought, along with some other things, the weaving that is hanging on the back wall, top right, in the picture above. We stayed here for hours. Above and below are 3 Quechua-speaking ladies demonstrating the art of Peruvian weaving. Only one of them spoke Spanish, so we were able to talk with her about her work.  

It's quite amazing, the symbols, stories, rituals, myths, and legends that are woven into the textiles. All Peruvian weavings have a voice, tell a story. It's a fascinating art.

When we left the Center we ran into a street protest. It was a peaceful protest, and only one of a number of protests that had been ocurring around Cuzco during our time in Peru. If I remember correctly, the Peruvian government was planning to lease the upkeep and operations of a number of important Incan sites, including Machu Picchu, to a Chilean management company. The Quechua-speaking population was understandably perturbed by this. And so were many other Peruvians, especially if one understands the rancorous relationship Peru and Chile have, each claiming the other is the biggest villain on the continent. These ladies, however, were having a jolly good time doing their protest!