I have had a wonderful second-to-last weekend in Cusco! My Spanish classes are challenging and in-depth, and I am feeling much more confident with the language than I was four weeks ago. After spending Friday sick at home, I was ready to hit the ground running on Saturday, replenished and excited to make the most of my two days free from classes. I began the day by touring Qorikancha, the most important temple in the Incan Empire, dedicated to the Sun God. When the Spanish arrived, they spent a century building the Church of Santo Domingo on the base of Qorikancha, destroying the temple itself but leaving much of the complex stonework built by the Incans. I deeply appreciated the religious art featured throughout the site, and I’m glad I was finally able to explore this piece of history that sits just across the street from my Spanish classes.
In the gardens on the grounds of Qorikancha
The following morning, I attended mass at Santo Domingo, and was extremely impressed by this beautiful cathedral. I also visited two other churches–Catedral del Cusco and the Basilica Menor de la Merced–as Sundays during masses are the only time when tourists can see these churches for free. Though I regularly attend Spanish mass on campus, it was an entirely different experience to witness mass in the city I’m calling home this summer. Afterwards, I walked around some areas new to me, and grabbed a coffee in the San Blas neighborhood.
Mass in Santo Domingo, attached to Qorikancha
Coffee with a view in San Blas
I was also able to eat at Chicha por Gaston Acurio, a famous restaurant in Cusco, this weekend. Here, my friends and I sampled chicha morada, a traditional Peruvian drink made from fermented purple maize. We asked our waiter how the chicha was prepared in this particular restaurants, and learned that, traditionally, the maize is chewed up and spit into water to ferment. Our chicha was fermented with a different method in this restaurant. Chicha is significant to Peru, because it was a drink consumed by the Incas and served to the Incan Sun God, Inti, during celebrations and sacrifices. We also tried a classic Peruvian dish, lomo saltado. This delicacy is a mix of Chinese and Peruvian cooking traditions, part of a category called chifa. Lomo saltado is a stir fry of vegetables with beef steak, marinated with soy sauce and other spices. Adding potatoes keeps with the Peruvian staple of eating this vegetable with every meal. All in all, the restaurant was a relaxing experience, and it was fun to engage our waiter to learn more about Cusquenian cuisine.
Two different types of chicha
Lomo saltado