today we witnessed the spectacle of corpus christi, a religious festival in cuzco where elaborately decorated effigies of saints are carried on the backs of men from churches all over the area to the cuzco's cathedral, where they are set on display. on the eighth day (today), they are walked to their original homes once again, led by trumpeting bands, groups of dancers, and the members of the separate churches bearing candles and flowers. the practice is a mix of incan and catholic traditions; the incans used to conduct the same procession, but with mummies of important ancestors instead of saints.

as those photos are downloading, here are a few glimpses of the past few days in peru:


vendors at the ruins of pisac, in the sacred valley


sam and i exploring the agricultural and aqueduct systems of the inca, at tipon.


kristin and mimi take a breather after scaling the steep mountainside at ollantaytambo, an ancient fortress, also in the sacred valley.


dining on a popular peruvian dish---GUINEA PIG!!! (for real, though...tastes like chicken)


sam tests out some stairs at more incan ruins. apparently they still work...


a view of a farming valley at pisac.