Studying abroad in Peru is without a doubt one of the coolest experiences in my life. I visited many places including the cities of Lima, Cusco, Puno, and Pisac, but one of the landmarks that really stood out to me in these cities was the sacred site of the temple at Koricancha and the baroque cathedral of Santo Domingo in Cusco. It was a breathtaking sight to see the combined architectural styles of Andean culture and Spanish colonial design.
The magnificent Temple of the Sun at Koricancha was the most prominent and extravagant temples in the Incan empire. Not only did thousands of priests live there, but the complex was the center of astronomical observation for the Incas. The rooms of the Incan temple were dedicated to the worship of many deities such as the Sun God, Stars, Lightning, Mother Earth, the Moon, the Rainbow, the Water, and the Incas’ ancestors and mummified emperors.
However, their temple was dedicated primarily to Inti, their sun god. The Incan way of life centered on their religion; you could say it was the leading contributing factor in the rise and fall of their empire. The extravagance of their temple only helps prove this point.
The complex at one time was layered in sheets of gold from the ceiling to the floors and walls. Even their garden was a “Courtyard of Gold” covered in gold sheets and had full size plants and animals made of gold, but everything changed when the Spanish conquest occurred. Most of the gold was ransomed for the life of their Inca ruler Atahualpa, and the temple was later destroyed and replaced by the Spanish with the Church of Santo Domingo.
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