San Blas: Cusco's Artisan Quarter
San Blas — Cusco's bohemian barrio on the hillside above the Plaza de Armas — has been the artisan quarter of the city since colonial times; the neighbourhood's narrow stone streets, whitewashed walls, and workshops of wood carvers, weavers, and ceramicists make it Cusco's most characterful neighbourhood
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The pulpit in San Blas
The carved wooden pulpit in San Blas Church is considered one of the finest examples of Colonial Baroque wood carving in America; Carved by a single indigenous artist (traditionally identified as Juan Tomás Tuyru Túpac) from a single piece of cedar wood in the 17th century, the pulpit is an extraordinary work of religious art
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Craft workshops
San Blas has been Cusco's center for the Escuela Cuzqueña (Cusco School) of colonial painting and of traditional craft production since the 16th century; the workshops of the neighborhood produce ceramics, wood carvings, textiles, silver and paintings that uphold the traditions of the Cusco school
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Cusco School of Painting
The Escuela Cuzqueña—the colonial school of religious painting that flourished in Cusco from the 16th to the 18th centuries—produced a distinctive style that blended European Renaissance and Flemish techniques with Andean iconography; the paintings are displayed in churches and museums across the Andes
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Cobblestone Streets
The cobbled streets of San Blas follow the original Inca streets — the narrow alleys with their high walls are unchanged from the Inca city plan; the steepness of the streets and the views they open of the rooftops of Cusco below are the neighborhood's defining physical character
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Artistic Community
San Blas remains an active artistic community — contemporary Peruvian artists have joined the traditional artisans of the neighborhood; the galleries, studios and studios mix traditional crafts with contemporary art; the district's creative energy is felt in the quality and diversity of the work produced
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Neighborhood Views
The terraces and rooftops of San Blas offer some of Cusco's finest views — the city's red-tiled roofs, colonial domes, and the surrounding Andes are visible from the neighborhood's higher streets; the viewpoint next to the San Blas church is the best sunset point in the city