"The Sacred Valley" Cusco by Ramonq

click: Inca music

Mention the city of Cusco, and most people who've been there usually say that it's a cool town. Like many Latin American towns, Cusco has a Plaza de Armas, which acts as the town centre. The city, especially around the main square, is very uplifting. When I first entered the spacious plaza, I felt like I entered a party place because it was full of people, locals and travellers, just enjoying what the town has to offer. This town is very much focused on tourism where most establishments are patronised by foreigners or Peruvians from Lima. Bars, restaurants, travel agents, souvenir shops surround the well-maintained colonial plaza and more of them spill out into the adjoining cobbled-stoned streets. I'm tempted to compare Cusco as the Incan version of New Orleans because of the party atmosphere it exudes. But amongst the the business establishments around the plaza, are two imposing grand colonial cathedrals standing obliviously to the hedonistic pursuits of its neighbours. Pious Cusquenos enter the hallowed halls of these two churches to escape from the material world outside and retreat from the daily grind. Inside the cathedral is a world away from touristic Cusco, but the Cusquenos piety is being pulled apart from two directions, the modern secular future and the Inca past.

The Inca presence in Cusco is very much alive. You can see it on the faces of most of its citizens. Brown skins with angular noses, the Cusquenos are mostly descendants from the proud Inca people. It's very unfortunate that very little has remained of the Inca buildings at Plaza de Armas. The Plaza was once the epicentre of the vast Inca empire which covered most of the Andean regions of South America. On the same spot, huge ziggurat Inca temples once stood overlooking the flourishing Inca urbanisation around them. All these came to a brutal end when the Spanish conquistadors usurped the emperor's dignity and took over the city's administration. Similar to what the colonialists have done to Mexico City, the Spanish removed all traces of the old civilisation in Cusco and replaced them with the Spanish ones. The same stones that made up the Inca temples were used to build the Spanish colonial city and this is what we see today. However, one can still see a few traces of the Inca city from some of the walls near the town centre, and they still show the advanced Inca masonry.

Cusco today is a mestizo culture. The Spanish influence is very strong. A vast majority speak Spanish however some native Peruvians only speak Quechua, the Inca language. The town looks quite Castillian with its Spanish baroque churches, Iberian-style civic buildings and the ubiquitous residential houses with colonial architecture. Yet the Inca past is resilient. All over the Andean region, the Inca spiritually is very much present even though Peru is overwhelmingly Catholic. Some of the Inca's old beliefs are still being practice and incorporated into the Catholic rituals.

Cusco is a great base to explore the surrounding valleys. The region is legendary to the Incas because of its extremely fertile soil and it served as the breadbasket for the burgeoning Inca Empire, hence the locals named it as the Sacred Valley. This is a beautiful part of Peru. Verdant, fertile and scenic, the valley is surrounded by mountains and traversed by flowing streams. I can see why the Inca civilisation flourished in this part of the world. The Sacred Valley is littered with remnants from the Inca past. In this valley, one can still see many structures built by the Incas and this is a good place to learn more about the Inca history

The Inca ceremonial site of Sacsayhuaman is one of the best examples of perfect Inca masonry. Accurately-chiseled enormous stones some weighing more than a hundred tons are fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. The structure suggests that this could be a ceremonial Temple of the Sun because of the presence of an altar. Alas, so destructive were the conquistadors and so vigorous was the hispanization of Peru, that there really isn't any accurate answer as to the purpose of many of these Inca sites. Even the Quechans themselves are at a lost. These sites include Qenqo, Tambo Machay and Ollantaytambo. There are dozens more of these ruins all showing the mastery of Incan masons. I also enjoyed the panoramic sceneries on which these Inca ruins are located and the colourful daily life of the Quechuans in the small towns that dot the Sacred Valley. Dressed in their colourful native wear, they go about minding their own business ignoring the gawking foreigners that come their way. Sometimes you'll see the local workhorse, the llama being used to transport goods in the markets. The Sacred Valley is a veritable fantastic region to explore and experience the Inca culture.

But I think the beauty of the Sacred Valley is even surpassed by what's in store further north, the impregnable ancient city of Machu Pichu. I had to pinch myself to prove I wasn't dreaming. After a gruelling 3 day trek up and down the mountains along the punishing Inca Trail, with a few Inca ruins along the way, the first sight of the legendary city from Intipunku is unbelievable. Covered in fine mist and the sunrise making a wondrous spectacle of the city. And as you get closer Machu Pichu is bathed in full glory surrounded by a sea of dense green forests and towering mountains. It's one of the most magical panorama I've ever seen.

Machu Pichu was buried in the deep jungle for centuries and was accidentally discovered by Bingham in 1911. It is now an open archaeological site and there are still more hidden secrets being revealed. This was once a full functioning city with palaces, sacrificial temples, residences, farms, irrigation and water channels for the thirsty population. Machu was as sophisticated as any city could be and it is a great mystery how this city died and became completely forgotten for hundreds of years. if only the Huayna Picchu, the triangular rocky mountain overlooking the city, could talk, a lot of mysteries around this city would be dispelled. Today, so many theories are being speculated by archaelogists and fantasists, that I do not know which one to believe. But the most important thing is that city has been resurrected and is now once again taking its claim as one of the most spectacular in the world.

• Pros:The Stupendous Machu Pichu
• Cons:Hard Work to do the Inca Trail
• In a nutshell:Best place to learn about Inca culture