Festivals and Fireworks

Last night as we were walking through the Plaza de Armas after dinner, we saw that people were gathered around a giant structure made out of bamboo.  We had seen a group of Peruvians building the structures earlier in the day.  They had lots of wheels and funny shapes that were full of sparklers. When set off, wheels would spin and the whole thing would come alive, a giant fountain of sparks. Every once in a while, frisbee like disks would fly into the air like spinning fireworks.  It was fantastic! I’ve never seen anything like it before.
- Brook

This wasn’t the first time that we came out of dinner to fireworks in the plaza.

After a great dinner on the plaza (John had alpaca) on Thursday night, we saw fireworks for what we understand to be the anniversary of the local college.  What a sight to behold, fireworks over the cathedral!

The center of Cusco is splendid with its Inca stonework, green plaza with flowers, narrow cobblestone streets, stairs up the hills, and good food.

Parades and festivals abound, especially on the weekends.  During the week, you often see adults and children practicing dances in the plaza.  Then on the weekend, they return in costume.