I absolutely love Cusco. It is such a beautiful city and I really like that everything is so walkable. When I go out to explore I just pick a direction and walk and I always find interesting things. There is so much to check out and there are Inca stones everywhere, lasting reminders of the Inca empire the Spanish did not destroy or erase. It’s so cool to see an ancient Inca stone wall meld into a modern building. Throughout Cusco there is so much of the past mixing into the present. There are ruins and art and buildings and more around that mingle with the modern buildings and cars and phones. You see indigenous people in their traditional dress next to tourists. But when I think about these indigenous people I also have to wonder why I think of them as the past when I see them in their traditional clothes. Yes that’s what they have worn for hundreds of years but that doesn’t mean they are part of the past. They are apart of Peru’s present and future, not just the past. They and their culture is still very alive. But often they are seen as ghosts of the past.
Dualities are also something that I have seen a lot of here in Cusco. For the main day of Corpus Christi there was a long mass with choir music outside the cathedral so that the entire packed plaza could take part. And then later people partied all night long on the hill. It was a complete 180 switch up. It was like business in front with a party in the back vibes as tradition gave way to a more loose modern party time. But it was interesting to be at this party because it was like a window into the ‘real’ Cusco. It was local people gathered together to enjoy the music and atmosphere. It wasn’t a tourist attraction that was curated for foreigners but a community gathering. And oh my god they could party.
The Q pop concert was one of the best things we have done on this trip. Lenin Tamayo was an amazing performer. Even though many of us couldn’t understand what he was saying we were able to get the message and be apart of the experience. The blend of the music was so cool and it shows you what amazing new creations you can get when cultures share and work together.
“But often they are seen as ghosts of the past.” I really regret not having gone to the Lenin Tamayo concert or the party in San Cristóbal. I’m glad you could do it. I am interested in your blog in the relationship between dualities that you established: the permanence of the rocks and the transience of movements, whether they are a tour of the city or a dance. If either of the two were missing, it seems to me that the historical presence of Cusco would be less attractive. They complement each other.