Mother Earth Travel > Peru > Cusco > History  Hotels in Cusco

The Tourist Ticket
The best way to make the most of all the attractions in Cusco is to purchase the "Boleto Turistico" (Tourist Ticket), with which you can access the most historically and culturally important museums and churches.

In the centre of the city is the Plaza de Armas, which was reputedly laid out by Inca Manco Capac and is also called Aucaypata (in quechua: warrior square). In the square, stands the splendid Cathedral, which took 94 years to be built. Next to this, stands the Capilla (chapel) de la Sagrada Familia, recently restored; and the Capilla del Triunfo, whose walls are adorned with masterpieces from the Cusco School, such as Diego Quispe Tito´s works.

The Compañía de Jesús, the pride of the Jesuit order, is also located in the Plaza de Armas; and a block away, in Calle Hatun Rumiyoq, there is the Museo del Arzobispado, which has some valuable works of art. On this same street, you can observe the famous rock with twelve angles which was a part of the Inca Roca´s palace.

San Blas, the Artisans´s Neighborhood
Formerly known as Toqocachi (Salt cave), it was due to the works of artists Mendivil, Olave and Merida, that this district came to be known as the artisans´neighborhoood. San Blas is a unique, picturesque area that has recently been restored: when walking through the streets of this magical neighborhood, you can easily imagine you are in the 19th Century. The San Blas temple has the largest piece of wooden carving - its pulpit, carved from a single piece by Tomas Tuyro Tupac, an Incan artist and architect.

Towards the Templo del Sol
Ten minutes from the Plaza de Armas, are the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and the luxurious Qoricancha, o "Templo del Sol" (Temple of the Sun), an amazing piece of architecture, it is believed that this temple was originally covered with gold. In front of the temple, is the "Casa de los Cuatro Bustos" now occupied by a hotel consortium. Descending toward Avenida El Sol, you can get another view of the Korikancha and visit the onsite museum.

Other Important Monuments
Towards the centre again, in Calle Mantas stands the Iglesia y Convento de la Merced, which houses La Custodia, a grandiose sample of gold work from the colonial era, made completely in gold and more than one metre high.
The Casa of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega houses a large collection of prehispanic and colonial art and in Plaza San Francisco, there is the temple of the same name, which has one of the largest paintings in the whole Latin America.