Two Backpackers

Photo of the Day: Inti Raymi Festival in Cusco

| by Jason on August 14th, 2024 | No Comments » | Photo of the Day

Our visit to Cusco, Peru was greater than expected when we discovered that the Inti Raymi Festival was being held all week. Everyday in the street the people would practice leading up the big event on the weekend. Bands, costumes and dancing lit up the entire plaza.

Inti Raymi, Festival of the Sun Festival in Cusco

Photo of the Day: Pikillacta Ruins Cusco Peru

| by Jason on July 30th, 2024 | 1 Comment » | Photo of the Day

The Wari Empire was a pre-Inca civilization that constructed extensive roadwork across Peru. Believed to have been conquered by the Incas, Wari peoples no longer exist. Pikillacta lies 30 kilometers outside of the city of Cusco and covers 2 square miles. It appears very large, but much is still to be excavated and restored.

Pre-Inca Pikillacta Ruins Near Cusco, Peru

Inti Raymi Festival In Cusco Peru

| by Jason on June 29th, 2024 | 3 Comments » | Peru, South America

Inti Raymi Festival is the largest festival in Cusco and lasts one full week.  The festival takes place during South America’s winter solstice (June 24) and it is in honor of The Sun God which the Inca’s believed to be the most important God of all.  To be specific, the Inca’s actually worshiped the sun rays not the sun itself.

Band on Plaza de Armas

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Photo of the Day: Cathedral in Cusco Peru

| by Aracely on June 20th, 2024 | 1 Comment » | Photo of the Day

La Compañía de Jesus was begun in the late 16th century but was almost completely demolished by the earthquake of 1650, then rebuilt and finished 18 years later.  La Compañía was built on the site of the Inca Huayna Cápac.   There are various works of art housed in La Compañía de Jesus but the most interesting one is of the Last Supper with a roasted guinea pig, the traditional meal in Peru.

Compañia de Jesus Church

Cusco Beyond Machu Picchu

| by Aracely on June 11th, 2024 | 6 Comments » | Peru, South America

We initially visited Cuzco with one goal in mind, to trek to Machu Picchu.  However, two days before we were scheduled to begin our 5 day journey via the Salkantay trek, they closed one of the most visited archeological sites in the world.  Heavy rains caused severe flooding and entire villages were washed away while tourism took a plunge.  We decided to stick around and explore other interesting places around Cusco.

Plaza de Armas, Cusco Peru

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Photo of the Day: Moray Inca Ruin, Peru

| by Aracely on April 12th, 2024 | 3 Comments » | Photo of the Day

Moray is a town in Peru approximately 50 km Northwest of Cuzco near the town of Maras that is noted for a large complex of unusual Inca ruins. These include most notably several enormous terraced circular depressions that were perhaps used to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. The depth of the pits (the largest is about 30 m deep) creates a temperature gradient of as much as 15° C between the top and the bottom. As with many other Inca sites, it also has a very sophisticated irrigation system for providing the plants with water. -Wikipedia

We visited Moray after our Machu Picchu Trek was canceled due to floods around the area. Most visitors to Cuzco/Machu Picchu miss these Inca Ruins because they are not as popular. We highly encourage to you explore other Inca Ruins as they provide a deeper understanding of the Inca Culture.

Moray Inca Ruins

Photo of the Day: Cuzco Through a Wine Glass

| by Aracely on March 1st, 2024 | 2 Comments » | Photo of the Day

Traveling can become exhausting. We took a break from sightseeing and had a lazy afternoon of drinks at Cafe Trotamundos at Plaza de Armas in Cuzco. We had a great view and started snapping pictures of our surroundings.

Lazy Afternoon in Cuzco