Women in Traditional Clothing, Cusco, Peru Postcard

Two women in Cusco, Peru, holding a lamb, pose in their traditional clothing near the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco. The cathedral is located on the Plaza de Armas. Building was completed in 1654, almost a hundred years after construction began. The Cathedral, in addition to its official status as a place of worship, contains many pieces of Cusco's colonial art. It also holds many archeological artifacts and relics. The cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the City of Cusco listing in 1983. The cathedral's construction began in 1559 on the foundations of Kiswarkancha, an Inca temple. Most of the stones from the building were taken from Saqsaywaman, an Inca holy and defensive structure located on the hills above Cusco.