Editor Pick
Plaza de Armas
- July 13, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
LenR from Townsville, Australia
The Plaza de Armas was known as Huacaypata (Warrior Square in Quechan) in Inca times and is believed to have been designed by Manco Cápac. It originally extended over a larger area than today’s square. It was the centre of Inca Cusco and, still today, remains at the heart of the city. During Inca times the Plaza was a place of ceremonies and military parades. It has been said that when the Inca's conquered new lands they would bring back some of the soil to be mixed with the soil of Huacaypata, as a symbolic gesture to incorporate the newly gained territories into the Inca empire.
The Plaza was once flanked with Inca palaces but these were all destroyed by the Spanish. The remains of the ancient walls of Inca Pachacutec's palace can still be seen on the north-west side of the square (inside the Roma Restaurant close to the corner of the Plaza and Calle Plateros.
Today the Catholic Cathedral and the Church of La Compañía flank it on two sides making it a major Christian site within Cusco. Tourist restaurants and souvenir shops call out from beautiful stone arches fronting buildings that surround other sides. The Plaza was the scene of many key events in the history of the city. It was here that Pizarro proclaimed the conquest of Cusco.
Unusually, the plaza is not completely flat and streets head uphill and downhill from either side. The northern and western sides of the Plaza are now lined by eight colonial-style arcades bearing religious or commercial names, with shops and travel agencies. There are many restaurants, bars and coffee shops with beautifully carved wooden balconies overlooking the Plaza. These are great places to relax and enjoy the view.
The plaza would be the perfect place to hang out, relax, and people watch under Cusco's sunny blue skies but unfortunately it is plagued by hoards of street vendors during the day who constantly approach and pressure you to buy things. The plaza is beautiful at night, too, when the fountain and churches are all bathed in soft lighting and there seems to be less vendor pressure. Don’t miss this quintessential postcard view then check out one of the ground floor or upstairs restaurants for dinner.
From journal Christian Cusco
Editor Pick
Plaza de Armas
In the days of the great Inca the heart of the Empire were two great squares divided by the Rio Saphi—Huacaypata, the Place of Tears, and Cusipata, the Place of Happiness. The riverway has now been filled in and the two halves of the square are now separate. Cusipata is the Plaza Recocijo. Huacaypata is Cusco's grand Plaza de Armas.
As an impressive centrepiece to a town the Plaza does its job admirably. Save for the churches (the baroque Jesuit Compania and the Cathedral atop its little rise) the surrounding buildings are no more than two stories tall. This allows the tourist to see the Andean hills rising around on all sides. Sweet as the plastered and balconied buildings are, this is only fitting. Nothing could be more suitable as scenery than the mountains that the Incas called home.
For this square was not only the physical, but also the spiritual heart of the empire. Whenever a new territory was conquered by the Inca, a portion of its soil was brought back and symbolically mixed with that of the Huacaypata. To all sides stood some of the most important complexes of their capital. Now all that can be seen of these edifices are the bottom thirds of the walls, the ingenious Inca stonework having been built on by their Spanish conquerors. The Palace of the Inca Wiracocha is now the site of the Cathedral. The Palace of the Serpents has the Compania atop it.
The square has a fountain at its centre—as with every other Plaza de Armas in Peru, be it Lima or Arequipa. First take a look at the church on the southern side of the square. This is the Compania de la Jesus, the church of the Jesuits. Its facade is a riot of curlicues and carvings - local craftsmen taking the philosophy of the Baroque style and going absolutely mental with it. Compare it to the rather plain and austere walls of the Cathedral to your left. As a 16th century local I know where I'd prefer to visit for my mandatory conversion. Inside there is a magnificent gold altarpiece.
An internal viewing of the Cathedral is more rewarding though. It is actually a complex of three chapels. You enter through the eighteenth-century Iglesia Jesus y Maria, pass through the Cathedral, and exit via El Triunfo, the first Christian church in Cusco. In the Cathedral look out for two early paintings in particular. Marcos Zapata's Last Supper aims to make the gospels understandable to a local audience. Here Jesus and the disciples are enjoying glasses of chicha and a roast guinea pig. El Senor De Los Temblores (Our Lord Of the Earthquakes)shows how a miraculous figure of the Christ saved the town from the fires that raged through the colony following the 1650 earthquake. This is the oldest surviving painting in Cusco.
From journal Cusco - The Navel of the World
Plaza de Armas
- July 13, 2005
- Rated 3 of 5 by
akakd from , Arizona
To really appreciate Plaza de Armas, make a point to see it both day and night. By day, enjoy the local people as you wander the square, with its three churches and centerpiece fountain. By night, enjoy the golden glow of the churches with the Christ of the Andes looking on.
From journal Cool Cusco
Editor Pick
Plaza de Armas
The main square and hot spot in Cusco is the Plaza de Armas. Built in 1535, the square has a rich history, evidence of which still remains with the numerous ancient buildings around it, such as the Cusco Cathedral and the bronze fountain in the center (built in 1651). The center of the plaza is loaded with benches. If you have downtime, take a seat and enjoy the sounds and people around you.
Being the central part of Cusco, it is no surprise that you can find almost anything here. Numerous restaurants circle the circle, though prices tend to be higher there because of the high number of tourists. In addition, a number of tour companies offering Inca Trail trips, rafting trips, Sacred Valley tours, bus tickets, and anything else can be bought here. The same crafts you can find in the market at Pisaq are also here, though prices will be higher and bartering is not widely accepted.
Around the plaza, you will see many children and adults either trying to sell you some small crafts (e.g. finger puppets, postcards, paintings, etc.) or simply begging for money. The beggars may appear poor, and you will feel sorry for them, but you will soon learn that these people are simply lazy and do not want to work for money.
From journal What's a Trip to Peru Without Machu Picchu?