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"The Navel of the World" a Cuzco Travel Page by mad4travel

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"The Navel of the World" a Cuzco Travel Page by mad4travel

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mad4travel    
Its not bad weather, it's just the wrong clothes!


Real Name: Mel
Lives In: London, UK
Member Since: Jan 17, 2005
VT Rank: 342

 

Page Views: 11,359            Last Visit to Cuzco: June, 2005      

The Navel of the World

by mad4travel - last update: Jun 29, 2006

Winter Solstice Festival

Party time in Cuzco
Sacred capital of the Inca Empire and known to the early Incas as the ‘navel of the world’,
Cuzco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America. The city is filled with the Inca legacy, evident in the straight cobbled streets lined with the remains of exquisite stone walls built by the Incas, examples of ancient stonework incorporated into the structure of colonial churches and buildings, and the Quechua-speaking descendants of the Incas that fill the streets with their bright dress and colourful handicrafts

I was lucky enough to be in Cuzco around the time of Inti Raimi , the Festival of the Sun, celebrated on the southern hemishphere's winter solstice.

Unfortunately I could not get to the actual ceremony - which actually turned out to be a good thing as I had Macchu Picchu virtually to myself as everyone was here - but that's another story.

There are several days of processions that lead up to the solstice played out in Cuzco's main square.

It was a delight to sit up in one of the balcony cafes, sipping a cappuchino and watch the colour, noise, enthusiasm and celebration going on below.

These guys sure know how to party-the processions went on all day!
Twirl those skirts!

Parades and more parades

The first day of the parades were undertaken by university students. In between groups in national costume, students were also dressed up as doctors, nurses, engineers representing different faculties of the university.
Take you pardner by the hand....

Even more parades....

The second day the parade was by schoolkids. There was lots rehersing all afternoon the day before in some of the smaller squares behind the main plaza.

Cuzco is a pretty cool place even without the festival. It has a pretty main square, interesting Cathedrals , churches and museums. There is plenty of inca foundations to be seen and people are very friendly.
We were given the usual warnings tho of not walking streets late at night or carrying large amounts of cash but we did'nt have any problems.

For more info on Cuzco check out my tips.

For more info on Peru check out my Peru and Macchu Picchu pages:
Peru Pages

Macchu Picchu Pages

> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]

Pros:"Beautiful main square and interesting streets"
Cons:"watch yourself at night"
In A Nutshell:"Go when the festivals are on for local colour"
mad4travel's Cuzco Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 7 - Photos: 7
 
Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
Hotels & Accommodations
 
NightlifeOff The Beaten Path
 
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TransportationLocal Customs
 
Packing ListsShopping
 
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Comments for mad4travel about Cuzco
sourbugger Fri Feb 1, 2008 13:04 UTC
 pretty amazing suff in this place, or what ?
momo275 Thu Jun 14, 2007 15:51 UTC
 Great pages, this is such a good site. hoping to visit here in a few months time
barryg23 Mon Jun 4, 2007 20:04 UTC
 Great story about the guy in Sacsayhuaman. Sounds like a clever way to fleece people.
elpariente Thu Jun 15, 2006 14:44 UTC
 Really good your Cuzco pages
See More Comments

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