Breakfast was on the sixth floor of the hotel this morning. Few made it by 8 am! Bags had to be packed and passports collected before our walking tour of Cuzco began.
We walked past Santo Domingo and the local citizens enjoying a Saturday on the wide green lawn surrounding an ancient fortress. Was every walk uphill?! We saw Incan foundations including the famous 12-edged stone. The central square was again our meeting point. It was swarming with aggressive street vendors including a team of shoe-shine boys. Some walked further to the farmer's market while others visited the chocolate museum. After lunch overlooking downtown...or after trying McDonald's Peru, Washington took us through the main cathedral. It was the first one built by the Spaniard's in South America and is larger than Lima's. There were many examples of colonialism on display--Mary painted with a body in the shape of a mountain, a Guinea pig being served at the last supper, and a crucifix made of corn. The Spaniards purposefully incorporated local ideas into carvings and paintings to help evangelize the local population who were illiterate in Spanish and Latin. It was an impressive church--it's size rivals great cathedrals in Europe. The primary altar, for example, was made using 2500 pounds of silver and a side chapel had an edifice plated with 22-carat gold. Upon exiting the tour several students (Kevin and George) hurriedly spent their final soles.
Next began the arduous journey home: bus transfer from hotel to Cuzco airport-fly to Lima-grab luggage and haul to bus for dinner-bus back to Lima airport-international flight home departing at midnight and arriving in Houston at 6:30 am.
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