Cusco - then and now

Upon entering the town of Cusco one is immediately struck with the significant and impressive number of cathedrals and structures that are remnants of the Spanish latin empire. At the same time one quickly becomes aware of that this place is the centre of Peruvian identity as the former capital of an pre-conquest empire that stretched across the Andean mountains and that had achieved amazing agricultural, economic and political sophistication while Europe was just coming our of the dark ages.

Temple de Sol - built on Inca foundations

Many emotions collided within me as we walked the narrow cobblestone lined streets, visited museums and cathedrals. Aside from the fascinating historical reality represented, what hit me hardest was the way in which the European institutional church totally denigrated and attempted to destroy a culture and way of life that was so much more advanced than that represented by it beareres. The Spanish conquest of the Americas ruthlessly and greedily destroyed a people and a way of life for the wealth represented in them - all in the name of a Christian religion that was supposed to be bringing reconciliation and hope to a broken world.

As one who is a follower of Christ himself I find this totally untenable and unrepresentative of any true Christian spirituality. In this context I found it hard to identify with the journey of the Spanish in the region. While people have moved on and the church has struggled to find a new identity and offer new and real hope it has been a very hard journey. Even now the pagaentry of the institutional church is evident in the many ritual parades that we have encountered in the places we have been. It is a very religous culture that is attempting to incorporate the various expressions of religion that have swept through the region over many thousands of years. Clearly we must distinguish between self-sustaining religious structures and a ´spirituality´ that calls us into relationship with the Creator.


Cusco is a fascinating city with many cultural realites fighting for space and merging with each other. Our time here is brief but eye opening. We are both tourists exploring the fascinating reality of other peoples lives and sojourners seeking to understand our common humanity with people who while they may have different experiences of life are just like us!