Cusco - Church of Santo Domingo and Coricancha Coricancha (Templo del Sol, Koricancha, Q'orikancha)

The church of Santo Domingo is built on the ruins of the famous Inca site of Coricancha - Templo del Sol. Coricancha (Q'orikancha), meaning "golden courtyard", was in fact known literally for its gold. Solid gold sheets once lined the temple walls and golden statues and pieces decorated the interior. A large golden sun disc reflected the sun, casting a brilliant light on the temple.

Unfortunately all of this was looted by the conquistadors soon after they arrived in Cusco. Most of the gold was simply melted down. All that remains today of the once glorious Coricancha is the fine Inca stonework, which forms the foundation of the church of Santo Domingo. Most impressive is a 6m high, curved wall at one end of the church, which can be seen from both inside and outside Santo Domingo. Unlike much of the Spanish architecture, the Inca wall has withstood all of the major earthquakes that have rocked Cusco.

In the center of the courtyard is a structure which was once covered with 55kg of gold. On the sides of the courtyard are small Inca rooms that visitors can walk through. The smooth gray stones and sharp angles of the Inca ruins are a stark contrast to the rounded arches and Spanish architecture which surround the courtyard.

The remains of the Coricancha Temple were left to the Dominicans by Jaun Pizzaro, brother of Francisco Pizzaro and the church of Santo Domingo was constructed in the 17th Century. It was almost destroyed in both the 1650 and 1950 earthquakes, and damaged against most recently in the 1986 quake.