The biggest advantage of being a WorldStrides student is the field trips led by professors who go far beyond a typical ‘gringo’ tour, taking us deep into the history of this culturally rich region of Peru. While most tourists pass through a site in just 20 minutes, we spent 2–3 hours at each major location this weekend with our amazing professor, Alberto Chara.
The weekend kicked off at the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, the historic main square at the heart of the city. Surrounding the plaza are two large churches, with views of many more Spanish Catholic buildings sprinkled in the distance.
The reason for the numerous churches in Cusco is that during the evangelization process, it was common practice for the Spanish to convert Incan temples into Catholic churches as a way to impose their power over the Indigenous people. However, they often built upon Incan foundations and relied on Incan artists to decorate the churches, creating a unique blend of the two religions. Inside these churches, you can often see Jesus on the cross looking down at Pachamama (Mother Earth), sometimes even with coca leaves to the side of his cheek. Although Indigenous people were forced to convert, it is clear that Incan spirituality was not lost.
We visited the Iglesia del Triunfo, Temple of Triumph, the first Christian church built in Cusco just three years after the Spanish arrival in 1533. Outside the church are carvings recounting the legend of Saint James the Great and the Virgin Mary descending from heaven to aid the Spanish, who were hiding inside on the verge of defeat by an Incan army. According to the story, the Virgin of Descent gave the conquistadores strength and bravery, while Saint James rode on horseback and held back the Incans, allowing the Spanish to regain control of Cusco.
While photos are not allowed inside the church, I captured one of the many sculptures adorning the exterior of the Temple of Triumph, offering just a glimpse of the ornate Catholic art that fills its interior. This particular statue depicts the Archangel Michael slaying the Devil.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early for Sacsayhuaman, and I was struck by how insanely blue the early morning sky was. We were the first ones at the site for the first hour, and we used this to our full advantage.
Our professor led us through pitch-black tunnels, challenging us to feel our way forward in complete darkness. It was the first time I had ever tried something like this, and after making it only about 10 feet before losing all sense of direction, I caved and cheated the rest of the way with my phone’s flashlight. Once we emerged on the other side, he explained that the tunnel had originally been used to transport water, which made a lot more sense than trying to walk through it.
The Incas and their descendants have used this rock formation as a natural playground for hundreds of years—our professor and his brother even slid down it many times during their own childhood. One by one, my classmates climbed up and slid down, continuing the tradition.
Finally, we approached the heart of the citadel, protected by towering walls of massive stones expertly fitted together. These impressive walls were once three times higher than they stand today and enclosed a vast flat plaza capable of holding thousands of people for communal ceremonies.
After a few hours at Sacsayhuamán, we briefly visited a couple of Incan outposts before finishing the day. In Incan society, messages were carried throughout the empire by chasquis, runners who would sprint about 4 km from one station to the next to deliver information. At this particular outpost, the walls contain niches where the Incas once displayed mummies curled in a fetal position.
The following day was overcast but still strikingly beautiful as we explored my favorite site of the weekend, Pikillaqta. This complex was built by the Wari civilization, one of the earliest societies in Peru and considered the ‘grandfather’ of the Incas. This particular site was once home to an estimated 10,000 people.
We followed the streets around the perimeter of the excavated portion of the site. One of the things I liked most about these ruins is how geometric and precisely aligned the roads and buildings are. From a high vantage point, the city appears like a perfect grid.
Many of the buildings at this site show evidence of being two or even three stories tall. Interestingly, there are no stairs, suggesting that ladders were used to move between levels. Although we spent a couple of hours exploring, our professor pointed out the nearby hills where the tops of additional structures peek through the overgrown brush, a reminder that what we visited is only a small uncovered portion of this vast city.
To end the weekend, we made our way to the Tipón complex. However, our professor led us through a back way beside a nearby farm, where we found ourselves completely alone. Scattered across the ground were pieces of pottery left behind by the Inca, and my classmates began searching for larger fragments. The most impressive was the one pictured, which we left behind for future explorers. It was a surreal experience to hold something over 500 years old, the kind of artifact usually kept behind glass in a museum.
We followed an ancient aqueduct for about a mile, passing small temples as we descended toward the main complex. Since this area is mostly unexcavated and rarely visited, it’s something the average citizen–let alone the average tourist–would never even know existed. In that moment, I felt truly grateful to be part of this program, to be among the few who get to experience this underexplored history.
The green terraces finally came into view as we entered the main complex of Tipón. All around, the sound of rushing water echoed through the site, carried by underground aqueducts that run throughout the terraces.
Tipón is especially impressive because of its lack of restoration, meaning that the water here has been running continuously for over 400 years. The advanced canals and fountains, both above and below ground, channel water from the top of the mountain into the complex and reveal the Incas’ ingenuity as hydraulic engineers. Our professor explained that these waterways are the most well-preserved and masterfully built in the entire empire—even Machu Picchu cannot match their sophistication.
This weekend has been one of my favorite experiences of the semester. Spending hours seeing, touching, and hearing the very things we learn about in class made me feel like a true scholar, not just a tourist. I wouldn’t have had this opportunity without my amazing professors, whose passion drives them to share everything Peru has to offer. I am truly grateful to say that I studied Spanish in Cusco with WorldStrides.