Cusco, famous for being the navel of the Earth, is actually one of the oldest Incan cities. Its buildings go back a long time and the popular Cathedral of Santa Domingo is no exception. The church is built at the site of the Coricancha Temple, an Incan temple dedicated to the Sun God and the Creator God. It is also alleged to have shrines of other entities important in the Incan universe such as Venus, Moon, and deities of weather. It is said that the original temple was laden with gold walls, artwork, and sculptures. In fact even the floors were made of gold and encrusted with gems.
But all this changed when the Spanish conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizzaro entered Peru. Soon everything that was remotely precious was either stolen or taken back to Spain by colonisers. The Incan temple, now in a state of disrepair, gave way to the mighty Cathedral of Santa Domingo. The Cathedral occupies centre stage in Peru and is a must visit attraction for tourists.
Today, the site is interesting because it is possible to witness these layers of history while walking around the compound. The original Incan wall of The Coricancha Temple stands tall despite the earthquakes that have rocked Cusco over the past few centuries. It’s possible to spot Incan rooms and the ruins of The Coricancha Temple. The in-house museum also has a plethora of information about the layout of the original temple and photos of the Cathedral in its heyday. In fact, it also has a series of artefacts that were recovered from the site due to excavation work in the complex.
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