Quote from Lonely Planet, "The archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent, Cuzco is now an important link in the South American travel network. Its legacy as the hub of the Inca empire is readily apparent: most of the city streets are lined with Inca-built stone walls and crowded with Quecha-speaking descendants of the Incas. The city has magnificent repositories of colonial art such as the cathedral (begun in 1559) and La Merced Church. There is also the Coricancha ruins, east of the city center, which were formerly covered with gold (the stonework is all that remains) and the Museo de Arqueológia, the interior of which is filled with metal and gold work, jewelry, pottery, textiles and mummies. Four other ruins - Sacsayhuamán, Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay - are nearby. "

In an email home from Puno, "We said good-bye to William our Bolivian Guide and met a guide from Puno, who drove us quickly to Puno with limited stops on the way. This ended up being a very fast ride across the boarder and in to Puno. He did stop at a church that was built by the locals. It has been very interesting every time the Catholics made the locals build a church they sneak in the local religion. They do this by adding their images in to paintings and carvings. We did see a small town that was celebrating it´s founding day by four bands and dancers competing in each of the 4 corners of the square. We also visited the Incan Fertility Temple, courtyard filled with 4 foot tall phallic statues. We are staying at a very plush hotel in Puno and tomorrow catch a tourist bus to Cusco, then Macchu Picchu. I have noticed that Peru is more Americanized. Most locals are in blue jeans, fleece jackets and baseball caps. They also drive faster and children beg for money on the streets. "