Blending of Cultures and more Museums

           Over the past couple of days, our visits from the different museums have shown how the Pre-Colombian cultures seem to have a continuation of themes, which represents the persistent blending of cultures. Two noticeable observations that stood out were the 3 step pattern and these cultures' metallurgy.

The three step patterns that I noticed were of the Inca, Mochica, Cupisnique, Salinar, and the Nasca. Here are a few examples found in the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art.

                                                 Cupisnique(1250 B.C.- 1 A.D.) Bowl

                                                            Salinar (1250 B.C. -1 A.D.) Bottle

      

                                                                  Nasca (1-800 A.D.) Vase

                                                    

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_de_Arte_Precolombino_(Peru)

       Also, several Pre-Colombian cultures seem to have the same metallurgy techniques. The Incas actually inherited these techniques from the Chavin and the Tiawansku cultures. The Incas merely improved the techniques that were passed down, and advanced these to incorporate their own style. One observation I made from these were the examples of war clubs, which consisted of copper which was seen as some of their quality metal work.

                                                    Vicus Formative Period (1250- 1 A.D.)

                                                              Inca Imperial 1438 A.D.

Both of these are from similar time periods, but clearly show how they are simultaneously using the same techniques.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294314-d2019081-Reviews-Museo_de_sitio_del_Qoricancha-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html

      By far, my favorite museum we visited yesterday was the Qorikancha temple, the Convent of Sainto Domingo.  The architectural structure was absolutely gorgeous, and there were several sites to see both inside and outside all around the building. This temple was the most important of the Inca Empire, dedicated to their Sun God, Inti. In Quechua, one of the most common languages in Peru, Qori means "gold" and kancha "enclosure". The walls and floors were at one time coated with gold and the courtyard behind the temple was also filled with golden statues. The Church of Sainto Domingo was built by the Spanish colonists. From this, the temple was destroyed, and was used as a foundation for the church. The Inca stone walls, which were incorporated into their structure are still standing today. 

http://www.qorikancha.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qurikancha

      Aside from the museums, we have found our favorite restaurant, El Encuentro. We have avoided eating the meat thus far, mainly because of the HUGE street market located next to our hotel. Normally, I wouldn't be without it, but I'm more concerned about how unsanitary it is here. At our new favorite place yesterday for lunch, we met an Australian woman, who we sat with for our meal. She gave us lots of recommendations on places to go, including restaurants and even yoga studios. Hopefully we will have the time to take one of the classes here because they seem very different than a normal class at home. It just so happened that today we ran across one of the studios, "Inbound Yoga", and also ran into our friend again!

http://www.yogacusco.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294314-d1086419-Reviews-El_Encuentro-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html

     As much as I love being in Cusco, certain Peruvians harass you so much to the point of not being interested in anything they have to offer. I can't count the number of times that a street vendor has approached me asking to purchase jewelry, clothing, paintings, and even to take pictures. However, today I gave in, only so I could capture a picture with one of the baby alpacas. I won't say I wouldn't do it again, but the women who offered their services to us were so rude and demanding. If the people here would just let the tourists approach them, they might not get as many negative reactions.