Architectural, Cultural sights in Peru
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Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock
To get a visual fix of the whole site and snap the classic postcard photograph, climb the zigzagging staircase on the left immediately after entering the complex, which leads to a hut. Known as the Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock , it is one of a few buildings that has been restored with a thatched roof, making it a good shelter in the case of rain. The Inca Trail enters the city just below this hut.
The carved rock behind the hut may have been used to mummify the nobility, hence the hut's name.
If you continue straight into the ruins instead of climbing to the hut, you pass through extensive terracing to a beautiful series of 16 connected ceremonial baths that c…
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Central Plaza
At the back of the Intihuatana is another staircase. It descends to the Central Plaza, which separates the ceremonial sector of Machu Picchu from the more mundane residential and industrial sectors, which were not as well-constructed. At the lower end of this latter area is the Prison Group, a labyrinthine complex of cells, niches and passageways both under and above the ground.
The centerpiece of the group is the Temple of the Condor, which contains a carving of the head of a condor, with the natural rocks behind it resembling the bird's outstretched wings. Behind the condor is a well-like hole and, at the bottom of this, the door to a tiny underground cell that can only…
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Museo Maria Reiche
When Maria Reiche, the German mathematician and long-term researcher of the Nazca Lines, died in 1998, her house, which stands another 5km north along the Panamericana, was made into the small Museo Maria Reiche . Though disappointingly scant on information, you can see where she lived, amid the clutter of her tools and obsessive sketches, and pay your respects to her tomb outside in the garden.
Though the sun can be punishing, it's possible to walk here from the mirador in a sweaty hour or so, or passing colectivos can sometimes take you. To return to Nazca, just ask the guard to help you flag down any southbound bus or colectivo.
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Palacio Torre Tagle
There are few remaining colonial mansions in Lima since many of them have been lost to expansion, earthquakes and the perennially moist weather. Many now operate as private offices or educational centers, which can make seeing interiors difficult. The most immaculate of these casonas is the famous Palacio Torre Tagle, completed in 1735, with its ornate baroque portico (the best one in Lima) and striking Moorish-style balconies. Unfortunately, it is now home to Peru’s Foreign Ministry, so entry is restricted. Groups and educational organizations, however, can request a tour in advance via the oficina cultural.
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Casa de Fierro
Every guidebook tells of the 'majestic' Casa de Fierro (Iron House) designed by Eiffel (of Tower fame). It was made in Paris in 1860 and imported piece by piece into Iquitos around 1890, during the opulent rubber-boom days, to beautify the city. Although three different iron houses were imported, only one, at the southeast corner of the Plaza de Armas, survives.
It looks like a bunch of scrap-metal sheets bolted together, and was once a store and the Iquitos Club. There is now a store on the ground floor. There are plans afoot to open an upstairs restaurant and bar. Stay tuned.
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Museo Inka
The charmingly modest Museo Inka, a steep block north-east of the Plaza de Armas is the best museum in town for those interested in the Incas. The restored interior is jam-packed with a fine collection of metal- and goldwork, jewelry, pottery, textiles, mummies, models and the world’s largest collection of queros. There’s excellent interpretive information in Spanish, and English-speaking guides are usually available for a small fee.
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Casa de Oquendo
The cornflower blue Casa de Oquendo is a ramshackle turn-of-the-19th-century house (in its time, the tallest in Lima) with a creaky lookout tower that, on a clear day, has views of Callao. Tours for small groups can be arranged ahead of time with the helpful manager, Juan Manuel Ugarte, but walk-ins can be accommodated provided he isn’t busy. Donations are welcomed in exchange for this service.
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Sacred Plaza
Climbing the stairs above the ceremonial baths, you reach a flat area of jumbled rocks, once used as a quarry. Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk across the quarry on a short path leading to the four-sided Sacred Plaza . The far side contains a small viewing platform (with a curved wall) that offers a view of the snowy Cordillera Vilcabamba in the far distance and the Río Urubamba below.
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La Mansión del Fundador
The 17th-century La Mansión del Fundador, once owned by Arequipa’s founder Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, has been restored with original furnishings and paintings, and even has its own chapel. The mansion is in the village of Huasacache, 9km from Arequipa’s city center, most easily reached by taxi (round-trip S20). Local city tours occasionally stop here.
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Casa Ganoza Chopitea
Casa Ganoza Chopitea, also known as Casa de los Léones, is considered to be the best mansion of the colonial period in Trujillo. The tourist police are housed here. Good contemporary Peruvian art is sometimes shown here, as are some rather arcane pieces that you may never have a chance to see elsewhere. Hours vary.
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Casa del Corregidor
The 17th-century Casa del Corregidor, one of Puno’s oldest residences, houses a cultural center where exhibitions, workshops and concerts take place. There’s also an art gallery and a bookshop. Its cafe-bar is a great place to hobnob with local expats and artists over a cappuccino and a pastry.
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Casa de Moral
Built in 1730, Casa de Moral is named after the 200-year-old mulberry tree in its central courtyard. Owned by BCP, the house is now one of the most accessible for snooping, and bilingual guides are available. It has a fascinating little map collection charting South American development.
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Casa Ricketts
Easy to visit, Casa Ricketts was built in 1738, it has served as a seminary, archbishop’s palace, school, home to well-to-do families, and now as a working bank. Look for the puma-headed fountains in the interior courtyard.
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San Ignacio chapel
To the left of the altar of the Iglesia de la Compañía is the San Ignacio chapel , with a polychrome cupola smothered in junglelike murals of tropical flowers, fruit and birds, among which mingle warriors and angels.
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Temple of the Three Windows
Important buildings flank the Sacred Plaza. The Temple of the Three Windows commands an impressive view of the plaza below through the huge trapezoidal windows that give the building its name.
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Casa de la Emancipación
Now the Banco Continental building, the Casa de la Emancipación is where Trujillo’s independence from colonial rule was formally declared on December 29, 1820.
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Casona Orbegoso
Casona Orbegoso, named after a former president of Peru, is a beautiful 18th-century manor with a collection of well-worn art and period furnishings.
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Casa de Urquiaga
An elegant colonial mansion , the Casa de Urquiaga, belongs to the Banco Central de la Reserva del Perú.
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Casona Iriberry
Worth a peek and housing the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín (UNSA) within its 18th-century colonial halls and patios.
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