George Bernard Shaw once said that there is no sincerer love than the love of food. While he was likely referencing the enjoyment we receive when partaking of food, the sentiment is even more apt when applied to the production of food: the growing of vegetables, the sorting of grains, the preparation of dishes. To learn how Cusco lives and loves, you only need to visit its most popular market, where locals have gathered since the time of the Incas (when it was just an open field) to sell and procure items for their daily needs. It’s a bustling atmosphere offering products and flavors that are exotic to foreign eyes; and unlike other popular sights and attractions you’ll see in and around Cusco, the San Pedro Market offers a glimpse of the true face of Cusco. 

Cusco’s Plaza de Armas is a multisensory experience, where barkers invite travelers and locals alike to enter stores and restaurants housed in colonial buildings erected upon Incan foundations. Competition is intense, and often they’ll offer a complimentary drink as an incentive to choose the locale they represent. Although the insistence can be fatiguing, there are great reasons to dine in the Plaza, mainly quality, accessibility, and the view.