Espacio Blogs

Main Square

In the time of the Incas the main square was known as the ‘Square of the warrior’. It has been the scene of several important events in the history of Cusco. Every year the beginning of the spectacular ‘Inti Raymi’ or ‘Fiesta del Sol’ is began here. It was also in the Main Square that Francisco Pizarro proclaimed the conquest of Cusco and it was also the scene for the death of Tupar Amaru I (1571), the commander of the unsuccessful Inca resistance. The arrival of the Spanish saw the Plaza surrounded by beautiful arcades of stone in traditional colonial style, these can still be seen and admired today.

In the Plaza you also find the Cathedral and the church of the Society of Jesus.

The temple of Qoricancha and the convent of Santo Domingo

The convent was built over the spectacular Temple of Qoricancha (place of gold), the most important temple dedicated to the cult of the sun, the walls of which were covered with sheets of gold. This convent, using a base structures of carved stones, is one of the most delicate works of architecture in Cusco. Its single tower, in the Baroque style, rises above the tile roofs of the city.

The convent has an important collection of paintings in the style of the Cusqueña school.

Calle Hatun Rumiyoc

This is perhaps the best known street in the city. In one of its walls of carved stone (the Archbishop’s Palace) you can find the famous stone with the 12 corners, identical to the one which forms a part of the old palace of Inca Roca. This street, rich in magnetism, offers an excellent access to the picturesque craft neighbourhood of San Blas.

The San Blas neighbourhood

San Blas also known as the neighbourhood of the artisans is one of the most picturesque places in the city. Its narrow back streets zigzag between grand old houses built of Inca stones and gentle little squares. The church was built in 1563, and is the oldest parish of Cusco. It has a spectacular pulpit, considered to be one of the best examples of a wooden carved pulpit of the colonial period. From this neighbourhood you have one of the most beautiful views of the city.

The neighbourhood also houses shops and stores of the most renowned artisans of Cusco, such as Hilario Mendívil and Edilberto Mérida, Santiago Rojas and Maximiliana Palomino.

Only visitors pursuing scientific, educational, recreational and cultural (tourism) objectives are allowed to visit these conservation units under special conditions and control. The existing ten national parks give protection to 4.13% of the national territory.

There are 11 National Parks:

Loreto is the largest yet least populated department in Peru. It is covered by dense vegetation and by primary and secondary jungle with low hills and slightly rolling landscape, crisscrossed by the many rivers of the Amazon River basin, which is born at the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers.

Iquitos, the capital of Loreto, is the main port city on the Amazon River and the largest city in the Peruvian jungle. Different indigenous people groups like the Cocama, Huitoto, and Bora first inhabited the area. Then came the Jesuit missionaries who founded the city. At the end of the nineteenth century was when Iquitos experienced its greatest economic glory due to the rubber industry. The economic bonanza meant that luxurious buildings like the art noveau Palace Hotel and the Iron House, designed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel, were constructed there.

In contrast to these buildings, you find the homes in the Belen neighborhood that are constructed on top of rafts and pylons to protect them from the flooding of the river. One of the best attractions in Loreto is navigating on the rivers and lakes and enjoying the beautiful beaches.

The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve (2,080,000 hectares), the largest reserve in Peru, is located 183 kilometers from the city and is home to numerous plant and animal species, many of them in danger of extinction like the charapa river turtle, the giant river otter, the black caiman, and the river dolphin.

Likewise, the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (58,000 hectares) protects the largest concentration of white sand forests, or varillales as they are known in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. This happens to be one of the best areas to go for bird-watching. //In addition to these national reserves, there are also numerous private reserves, which have been created to satisfy all tastes.