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64°F / 18°C
(Overcast. Mild.)
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Modern Cusco pulses to the rhythm of its main activity, tourism. The overwhelming importance of this industry has meant the development of a great diversity in the products and services of this town of 1 million people. Nowadays, there is an adequate infrastructure to ensure that the huge number of visitors who come here each year are satisfied and have fun.
Museums
There are many museums and galleries open in the city. In order to visit the most important ones, you should buy the "Boleto Turístico," or tourist pass.
The most important museum is probably the Museo Inka of Pre-Hispanic culture, located one block from the Plaza de Armas. The building was once the residence of the Marques de Vallumbrioso and housed the best library in the new world. One block further on is the Plaza Nazarenas, where you can find the Casa Cabrera with its permanent exhibition of works by the famous photographer Martín Chambi. Next to the Plaza de Armas, is the Plaza Regocijo and the Casa Garcilaso museum with its exhibition of colonial art. Here you will also find the Contemporary Art Museum. The Museo Arqueológico was built by the Spaniards on what was once sacred Inca ground. Today, the museum exhibits archaeological finds from throughout South America. For more knowledge on the Incans themselves, visit the Museo de Sitio Korikancha. This museum covers the pre-history of the Incan state up until it's destruction in the 16th Century.
Galleries
In the neighborhood of San Blas, a special gallery of interest is the Museo Hilario Mendívil, where the visitor can see artisanal handicrafts made by techniques handed down through the generations. Also visit the Taller Galería Hermanos Mendivil.
Other galleries of note include the Banco Wiese, the gallery of the Escuela de Bellas Artes, and the exhibition of pictures by children from Andean communities, called Irq'i Yacha, which can also be found in the neighboorhood of San Blas.
Dance
In the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo on Avenida El Sol, there is a daily show of the region's folk dances which has been running for more than 25 years. After watching the performance, if you feel like dancing yourself, there a great many clubs and discos in Cusco, particularly on Procuradores Street. Some of the longest running places are the Kamikase, the Ukuku's Pub Cultural, Mama Africa, all of which are pubs with great drinks, good music and lots of spontaneity.
When it comes to clubs, Uptown is a good choice, with mostly electronic music, and there are also the Muki and the Xcess, two of the most popular venues amongst Cusco's residents. Most of these places are located in center of town, so it is easy to visit several places in the same night. Make the most of it and enjoy!
Festivals
The Incan civilization centered on religious tradition and culture, so there is no doubt that these traditions remained. Some have syncretized with Spanish rituals and ceremonies but nonetheless many processions are still to be found in Cusco today. Corpus Christi is one such festival, it used to be an Incan ritual to carry the exhumed bodies of priests throughout the village, but since the arrival of the Spanish, it is now an homage to various saints. The festival of Qoyllur Riti, which means "Snow Star" was originally an Incan veneration to nature, yet once again transformed and now more Catholic. Inti Raymi or the Sun Festival is a very important holiday for the people of Cusco. The ceremony is spoken entirely in Quecha and draws thousands to the Sacsayhuam fortress.
A festival that celebrates crosses and agriculture is Cruz Velakuy, paying homage to another harvest and a reverence to the goddess Pachamama, or mother nature. The Cusco Beer Festival is actually both a festival to enjoy beers as well as a music festival, it is one of the largest fairs of its kind in South America.
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