Before arriving in Cusco, I looked up pictures, and all I saw was color and culture. The pictures did not mislead — there is color and culture in every direction you look!
In almost any city you travel to in the Sacred Valley, you will find vibrant-colored outdoor markets. You will discover many handmade goods and souvenirs to buy. Remember to barter with the seller to get a lower price!
Llamas and alpacas… what cute animals! You will have the opportunity to see them even in the city center. Some women dress in traditional clothes, and you can take a picture with them and the baby llama as long as you offer a small tip.
June is the Month of Jubilee in Cusco! Almost every day, the Plaza de Armas has a celebration. Throughout the month, you can see the Cusco flag anywhere you look.
Every grade school, high school, and university in the city participates in the Month of Jubilee! Each education level is assigned a day to perform a cultural dance. In this photo, the university students are dancing around the plaza. It is a great honor to represent your school.
The university art students made large statues to represent the culture. Guinea pig is a favorite dish in Peru, so this student made that the centerpiece of their cultural statue.
In Ollantaytambo, a town in Sacred Valley, you can find June celebrations there as well. The main plaza is full of people working hard to create these images made of colored sand.
The same day in Ollantaytambo, there are parades through the town with music and dancing. Each parade has a different theme and different music.
Corpus Christi is a celebration that has been going on in Cusco for the past 400 years. The Incas used to celebrate by parading around with mummies. When the Spanish conquered the city, they replaced the mummies with Catholic statues and references
The parade takes place in the Plaza de Armas, the main plaza. Each Catholic Church in Cusco has their own statue to carry. In the precession, first comes the older individuals and the women who are often wearing formal or traditional clothing and carrying offerings or symbolic items.
The men follow. Their job is to carry their church’s statue around the square. The statues usually weigh around 2,000 pounds! Luckily, the men switch off, so they are not carrying it for the entire event.
The statues stay in the plaza for eight days. The day before Corpus Christi, the statues are carried to the plaza by the men of the church. On the eight day, the statues are paraded around the plaza once again, and then carried back to their respective churches. The farthest church is over 12 miles away!
Inti Raymi, the festival of the sun god, always takes place on June 24, and it is the most important celebration during the Month of Jubilee. It is a combination of storytelling, singing, dancing, and acting. People from around the world travel to Cusco just to watch this festival.
The festival takes place in three segments at three different locations. The first part takes place at Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun God. Entrance is free, and the performances last about fifty minutes
The second segment occurs in the Plaza de Armas, and it lasts for about 90 minutes. Make sure you arrive early because thousands of people squeeze into the plaza to watch the show. The final part takes place in the Saqsaywaman archeological park, but you must buy a ticket to watch it
Go to any textile shop, and the local women will give you a free presentation of how they use natural ingredients to wash and dye their wool! Also, you will probably be able to pet some llamas and alpacas