Exploring Cusco

     We had a free day in Cusco upon our return from Machu Picchu and I decided to explore as much as I could.  Being a teacher, I was anxious to see several museums and their treasures.  Some places allowed pictures, other prohibited them.  I would have liked to sneak a picture of some of the Inca mummies but never got a chance.  Too many police and closed circuit TV.  The artifacts photos at the bottom of the page were taken at the Pre-Columbian Museum of Art.  A lot of gold and silver items were displayed, but the photos did not turn out well.  Several churches were open for viewing (for a price) and some of the altars and artwork was unbelievable!  Nearly all the museums, churches, stonework, etc. that I visited were within 3 or 4 blocks of the Plaza de Armas, which was very convenient.
     A guide book I had purchased before the trip directed me to the Stone of Twelve Angles.  While trying to find it, a young college student approached me with a notebook, offering to explain the history of the stone, theories on how the wall was erected, and even figures of the condor, jaguar, and snake whose shapes would be seen as a cluster of stones (when pointed out to the untrained eye).  Quite informative!  She spent a good 30 minutes pointing things out, explaining the history and just educating me about Inca building techniques.  Later, she directed me to one of the two remaining Inca stonework doorways still standing.
     I wandered about the streets a good bit taking pictures.  I came upon a fantastic mural about the history of Cusco.  It seemed everyone had street scene artwork of Cusco to sell.  Curiously, all the paintings seemed to be done in the same style, maybe the same artist.  There were two high school guys that followed my around for two days before I obtained one of their paintings.  They did harass me.  They wanted to talk about American soccer, Madonna, and Baywatch.  Go figure!  I finally traded two of my baseball caps for one of their small paintings.
     My wish is that somewhere amongst my ramblings and these pictures you have found something of interest.  My only other noteworthy trip was to Paris, France, but given a choice I would return here first in a heartbeat!  I just feel in love with the people and the land.  All together, I snapped over 600 pictures in 6 days.  I hope the ones I have chosen give you a fair representation of Cusco and the Inca!