The Islands of the Uros were probably my favorite part of the trip. I found everything we learned there so interesting!!
When we arrived to the Island we formed a circle. A man from the Island stood in front and stated to teach us about the Island and the other islands that surround it. Every one had so many questions, because it was so interesting!
This is basically a diagram of the Island. The islanders go and cut out the big plants and cut the roots out too. They then take a trip to the land and the city of Puno to buy big logs. They take ropes and tie everything together between the logs. The Islands float. They have to be taken care of very well though or they will sink because some of the dirt can fall out of the bottom. They also add new layers of the plants everyday in order to not sink though the floor. There are about 85 Islands like this. On each Island live about 5 or 6 families. They are not ruled by the government of Peru. Each Island has their own leader. Every year they take turns being the leader. The crime is low because if someone breaks the rules they don't take it. They just kill them, or cut a their part of the Island off and push them away from the Island. Everyone has to work hard or they cut their part out of the island too. The main religion is catholic. After Catholicism is Mormonism. I thought that was really cool. Those were the only 2 religions he mentioned. Then after that he said "and a couple people of other little churches." The kids go to school on the main land. They row into the mainland every day. They have to leave about an hour in advance. They use bartering between the islands. They all trade different things with each other. The only form of actually money they have comes from tourist that buy their things. Anything else they just trade. Most of the people on these islands speak Quechua as well. I do not know that anyone actually reads my blog, but I write all of this in detail because it honestly interested me so much. There are tons of things I'm sure I am forgetting to write. Like I said, we sat around asking questions and getting answers for so long!
They served us fish for lunch. It was SO tasty!!! I love fish now!
We found our ways back to the city of Puno on the land. We then left from Puno to Cusco. We spent 3 amazing days in the city of Cusco. I will now proceed to write facts about all the different Incan ruins we saw. Y'all might find that boring and want to skip over it. I did not love history while studying it in highschool. But when you are living history and walking where the people walked and seeing what they saw it makes it a lot more interesting, and I loved every minute of it. Some of the exchange students complained about being bored of seeing the same things over and over again. "Just rocks", they would say. I loved it.
These were the first ruins I saw in Cusco. It wasn't much. It used to be an Incan temple. There wasn't much of it left. But, it is worth putting the pictures up just because I was excited to see my first ruins.
Okay, The name of these next set of ruins and pictures is Sacsaywaman. It means satisfied falcon. This picture is a ring centre. It was used or seeing the milkyway during the Incan time.
These slides are naturally formed. We spent some time playing on them, but it really hurt your butt when you hit the bottom!
The heaviest of the rocks in this structure is 130 tons. We wanted to take a picture to make it look like we could lift it, but it was roped off. We went and tried on another rock instead. It was an epic fail.
The rocks of this temple were moved by using logs like the Egyptians would. They made ramps to lift up the rocks. 100s of people would drag the rope (slaves). In 1438 the temple started being constructed. 2 or 3% was never finished before the Spaniards came in 1536. John Pisaro, a Spanish conquistador, was chasing a native man who ran to the temple. The Spaniards discovered the temple that way. The native man killed John Pisaro with a rock to his head. Fransisco Pisaro, John's brother, took over and killed the native man.
The temple was built to worship the sun. Every June 22 they sacrifice black llamas in an open area of the temple.
This practice is still practiced today in Cusco. The black llama is considered to have pure blood.
When the Spanish used the rocks of this temple to build churches in the city of Cusco some of the people opposed. They tried to rebuild the walls of the Incans but failed. They had no knowledge of how the Incans built the walls. As you can see in the picture the Spaniards tried to reconstruct the walls, but it did not turn out.
More facts:
Cusco was built in the shape of a puma and means belly button of the world.
Cusco was built in 1100 by the incans.
The Incan empire was made up of four regions that today span across 6 countries in South America.
Q'enqo was another place destroyed by Spaniards to build constructions in the center of the city.
Incans created this rock so when the sun hits it during the summer solstice on June 21 and 22 it creates a puma shadow. Pumas represented the Incan power and were practically worshiped in their society and very important.
The windows were originally 2 meters tall and held mummies and important figurines of the Incas.
Inside the cave on the tables they sacrificed humans and black llamas. Black llamas are believed to have pure blood. Mummies were found burried next to the sacrificial tables. It was a privilege to be sacrificed. Many young women were sacrificed. They were tied up and not given food or water. Sometimes they would freeze to death or die of hunger.
Enjoy a break from history and look at this picture of Katy and I with what an Incan King would look like.
After Q'enqo we went to one of the largest temples of the Incans. The name in Quechua means gold enclosure. It is open every Sunday for mass. It is the church of Santa Domingo.
First temple is called Temple of the rainbow. The walls were completely covered in gold and silver until the Spanish took it all in 1532.
Second temple was dedicated to thunder and lightening. The difference in the architecture is the stones are square and smaller which is the Incan Imperial style. They cut the rocks with iron that they found after using softer metals like copper silver and gold. They made holes in the stone with chisels, filled it with dry wood, and then added water to it. This made the wood expand and break the larger slabs into smaller pieces. Then they smoothed them with a chisel and harder rock until they fit together perfectly.
The different style of building with perfect square rocks all the same size is the Imperial Incan style.
Only 4 rooms remian from the original temple. The rest were destroyed and used to build the church and monastery of Santo Domingo. The outerwall of the inca enclosure was covered in gold, which is where the name comes from.
The paintings around the courtyard depict Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo de Guzman is recognized by the star on his forehead.
Paitings (in no photos allowed area) were painted by students of a school here in cusco with both incans and spanish students. They depict passages from the Bible and the roman catholic religion.
Only 40% of peruvians practice the Roman Catholic religion.
The final room left from the original inca structure was covered in silver which the spanish took and then redecorated in colonial style with plaster. Archaeologists later removed the plaster to reveal the original inca structure but left a part for reference.
The Inca Cruz's 4 points are the 4 regions of the Incan empire with the center as Cusco: which means naval. I bought a ring which depicts the symbol.
