The hard-to-find street art of Cusco, Peru
While nearly every block in Lima, Peru had street art in the form of stencil, a mural, or tag, in Cusco, street art is a rare thing. Most of the town has been cleaned up for the tourists. That or…
Here are the people in the neighborhood
I can’t resist a good bout of street photography. If it’s ever offered, I’ll be first in line for a computerized camera in my eye so I don’t miss a thing. In Cusco, Peru, as we explored the Plaza de…
What’s revealed around the corner in Cusco
If you wander deep enough into Cusco, Peru — away from the Plaza de Armas and generally in an uphill direction — you can escape the touts and the tourist traps. In the side streets and alleys, the city starts…
The cult of saints, live and in person
Back in a college class about early religion, I read The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity by Peter Brown. Stay with me here…
The Incan slide at Sacsayhuamán, or Why your tour group and guidebook suck
Having poked around Sacsayhuamán, Todd and I head for a bouldery hill just across the site’s broad, grassy field. It looks like a sweet spot to relax and take in the whole of the extensive Incan ruins and the views…
Incan ruins and alpacas at Sacsayhuamán, Cusco
Some people visit the ruins of Sacsayhuamán in the hills just above Cusco, Peru to see the remarkable Incan walls, bricks carved so perfectly that the thinnest blade can’t fit into the seam between them. Others come to see the…
Cusco’s delightfully dinky museums
With all the Incan ruins to see and llamas to pose with, most people visiting Peru’s Sacred Valley probably wouldn’t stop in any of Cusco‘s museums if admission wasn’t included in the boleto turistico. Not us. Todd and I would…
Sacred and profane: Put a tout on it
We avoid making eye contact with most everyone in Cusco‘s Plaza de Armas. Being so shifty eyed makes chilling out on one of the main square’s park benches a little awkward. We want to people watch, because there are just…
Drawing of Cusco’s rooftops from the hills of San Blas
While wandering aimlessly through Cusco, Peru‘s hilly San Blas neighborhood, the choice is pretty much just up or down. We choose to wander up and up until we come across a small terrace. Seats at a table. Coca tea. And…
Sacred and profane: Put a cross on it
Neither Todd or I are religious. Ask us if we believe in god, and we’ll tell you stories instead. About how, when we first moved to San Francisco, we hosted a combined Passover Easter party and a Hindu guest knew…
