1000Places : photos : 2006 - Peru : CUZCO, PERU - Peru is the product of two cultures: the Inca and the Spaniards who conquered them, and often it seems there are strange confluences of the two heritages. In the Iglesia de la Merced, for example, is a display of the vestments of the Spanish friar Vicente de Valverde. But there is no mention that it was Valverde who urged the conquistadors to attack Atahualpa and murder 6,000 of his guards because the Inca could not understand the meaning of the Spanish Bible.- powered by SmugMug

We journey to the Land of the Incas.

Gallery pages: << < 27 28 29 30 31 32 >

< 270 of 286 >

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - The red tiled rooftops and gothic churches reflect the Spanish influence on the city. Inca legend credits Pachacuti with the emergence of Cuzco as a major city, but archaeological evidence points to the likelihood that the city has been occupied for at least 4,000 years.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - The Spanish built a series of churches on top of the Inca foundations, the first constructed in 1650. Most of the churches were destroyed by earthquakes, but the Inca foundation walls have remained intact.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - Once the Inca walls were covered with 700 plates of gold. When the conquistadors captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa, he offered to pay a ransom of gold and the Spaniards stripped the plates from the temple. After the gold was delivered, the Spaniards murdered Atahualpa.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - In 1950 another earthquake caused the Spanish interior walls to tumble again, revealing the granite Inca stones that remained undisturbed. Church officials decided to leave the Inca walls exposed.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - A closeup of the precision of Inca stonework.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - Through several interior walls, the Incas constructed their characteristic windows with such precise alignment that they appear to be mirror images.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - This is the modern-day entrance to the Catholic church that now exists on the site of the Coricancha.

1000places > CUZCO, PERU - Peru is the product of two cultures: the Inca and the Spaniards who conquered them, and often it seems there are strange confluences of the two heritages. In the Iglesia de la Merced, for example, is a display of the vestments of the Spanish friar Vicente de Valverde. But there is no mention that it was Valverde who urged the conquistadors to attack Atahualpa and murder 6,000 of his guards because the Inca could not understand the meaning of the Spanish Bible.

CUZCO, PERU - Peru is the product of two cultures: the Inca and the Spaniards who conquered them, and often it seems there are strange confluences of the two heritages. In the Iglesia de la Merced, for example, is a display of the vestments of the Spanish friar Vicente de Valverde. But there is no mention that it was Valverde who urged the conquistadors to attack Atahualpa and murder 6,000 of his guards because the Inca could not understand the meaning of the Spanish Bible.