The Incas: Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Inca Trail

 

Coricancha, Santo Domingo Church and Golden Rectangles

In Cusco city,
Temple of the sun transformed,
Coricancha endures.

Coricancha and Santo Domingo Church, Cuzco, Golden Rectangle

Successive Golden Rectangles dividing a Golden Rectangle into squares (Machu Picchu in the morning)

Coricancha and Santo Domingo Church, Cuzco

The Coricancha was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God. It was one of the most revered and respected temples of the city of Cusco, Peru. The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold, and the courtyard was filled with golden statues.

The preserved stone walls of Coricancha are among the most impressive examples of the world-famous Inca architecture.

The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the site, using the ruined foundations of the temple that was flattened by the Spanish in the 17th century, and is a fine example of where Inca stonework has been incorporated into the structure of a colonial building.
 

Coricancha and Santo Domingo Church, Cuzco