Cusco, Peru: The Ruins at Chinchero

Yesterday, Christine and I took the bus to Chinchero, another set of ruins about an hour from Cusco.  Chinchero is supposedly the birthplace of the rainbow, though we have yet to find anyone who can tell us why.  Still, the day was beautiful, and the ruins are delightfully low in the hills, right on the edge of town.

Chinchero, because of its low altitude, was a farming center, which is why you can see the remnants of many terraces behind us.

We also found a rock with what we assumed to be a throne carved into it.  We took turns pretending to be the queen, and a stray dog who accompanied us for our entire trip through the ruins posed beautifully for the pictures!

The last place we visited before heading back to Cusco was a church that the Spanish conquistadors built right on top of the Incan ruins.  Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures on the inside (the picture above is on the outside), but imagine the whole church—including the wooden ceiling—beautifully painted with images of saints and flowers and angels.  It was amazing, and unlike any church I have ever seen.  All in all, Chinchero was a great trip!