Conquistadors in Cusco

We marched down the hill from our quiet retreat this morning, past the fields of red and black quinoa and the Temple of the Moon and arrived in the midst of the bustling town centre. Cars were ushered around the Plaza de Armas by traffic officers in green uniforms and gloves in Peruvian red and white, while women line the large grey stones of the walls brandishing massage pamphlets at the tourists.

Typical cusqueño street

At the tourist information office, we bought a boleto turístico - the only way to enter the Incan ruins in the Cusco area - which includes entrance to over a dozen places of interest. While we intend to take in the ruins on another day, we started with the small but informative museo histórico regional.

House of Garcilaso

In a white-washed colonial building with striking blue balconies, a series of rooms surrounding a central courtyard tell the story of Peru from the point of view of the town of Cusco.

Accelerating rapidly through the prehistoric times of South America, whose people fashioned pots and flints, like every other ancient culture, the museum quickly arrives at the Incas, the foundation myths of "Qosqo" and the people's animist beliefs. The Incas deified certain animals, such as the puma. In fact, the Qoa was a giant mythological animal in the form of a puma, whic shot lightning from its eyes, spat hail from its mouth, urinated rain, and growled thunder.

Fast forward to the middle of the 16th century and the Spanish arrived, opening the doors to the Andean treasures to the kingdom and the rest of the Europe. In fact, the arrival of the Spaniards in the new world precipitated the plundering and melting of the Inca gold and silver, and an almost wholesale suppression of their beliefs and culture.

The Spanish evangelised to and attempted to convert the indigenous people, righteously believing that a Christian God supported their actions. Various Saints appeared to leaders of battle, assuring them of victory, as they murdered people with superior force. In fact, in a display which may well have been written by the victors, the apostle Saint James (Santiago) appeared before the frightened 'Indians' in the form of a terrifying lightening storm.

Having imposed Spanish dress and customs on the native people, the conquistadores spent centuries subjugating them with corrigimientos (places of correction), repartos (distribution of European goods), and mitas (collective work for the state).

One particular Inca, Túpaq Amaru II, having witnessed the punishment meted out to his people by the Spanish, fomented revolt among the Incas and eventually captured and executed one of the corregidores, José Antonio de Arriaga. In retribution, the Spanish captured and executed Túpaq Amaru in Cusco's Plaza de Armas on 18 May 1781.

The nuns of the Santa Catalina monastery loaned a crucifix to the executioners to "grant them a disguised indulgence", but did not accept its return because of the dreadful acts committed by them.Ironically, his ancestor, Túpaq Amaru I, died in similar circumstances at the hands of the Spanish two centuries earlier.

Over a century before Túpaq Amaru II began his revolt, another man of mixed descent - his mother an Inca, his father an influential Spaniard - started a different kind of revolution using the pen. Owing to his fortunate position, he benefited from a good education. He eventually went under the name "El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega and, using his literacy, recounted tales of pre-Columbian Incan greatness in his book Comentarios Reales, giving identity to the new generation of mestizos. He died in 1616, on the same day as Cervantes and Shakespeare, and his work would later be influential to Túpaq Amaru's more physical rejection of the conquest.

On leaving the museum, we got a steer to what must be the best vegetarian restaurant in Cusco. At Green Point, we drooled at the general menu and food arriving from the kitchen into the small and incredibly busy restaurant. To avoid choosing and because it was superb value for money (12 soles), we both decided on the set lunch menu.

Best vegan salad

The lunch came with a serve-yourself salad of healthy, delicious, vegan and mostly raw items. This was followed by sopa china - an Asian-inspired soup with a spring roll floating in it.

Waiter, there's a spring roll in my soup

For the segundo, I had a plate of arroz verde with pumpkin fritters, while K tucked into a decadent mound of quinotto - a vegan quinoa-based risotto which had a creaminess not attributable to dairy products. With a cup of chicha morada and finishing with a vegan chocolate truffle, we were convinced to return.

Green rice

Peru, having done substantially better than Bolivia in the Copa América, saw Paraguay in the third place playoff this evening. Our host, not usual given to follow football, was glued to the match out of a fit of patriotism, and saw them reach a 2-1 victory.

Shunning the match, we instead settled into our cosy bungalow in front of a raging log fire with a glass of Peruvian red wine.