Study Abroad in Cusco, Peru

From this point, students can easily reach Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. A beautiful city that is well preserved in its colonial architecture, Cusco is a gold mine of the indigenous Quechua culture that is still modern enough to be a city to comfortably live in. Spanish colonial buildings are erected directly atop old Incan walls; in essence, Cusco is a picturesque city that offers an extremely rich history that can appeal to anyone.

Cusco offers many ancient and colonial attractions to see. Just taking a stroll around the city itself would be enough to take up the majority of your days!

Museo del Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cusco

Your obligatory museum visit in Cusco is… not your usual one. Instead of your usual ancient artifacts and modern art exhibits, this museum, inside El Centro’s textile store, is more specific in that, as you can probably guess, it is filled with the textiles of traditional Quechuan and Andean work. It’s also free! Considered a must-see by most, the textile is of fantastic quality, and is certainly a place where you won’t regret spending your money.

Qurikancha

The sun temple was the central site of worship for Incas. Unfortunately, it was severely destroyed by the conquistadors, the Spanish conquerors. However, the bottom of the ruins has been fairly well preserved, and is definitely still worth a few hours of your day. Containing Catholic and Incan heritage, the sun temple offers stunning views of the surrounding areas.

San Pedro Market

This is one market you might find yourself at more than once. Flamboyant, vivacious and quite crowded, the market is run by Peruvians for Peruvians. Because it’s not aimed at tourists, you can go through the market without being heckled by the local vendors here unlike…

Plaza de Armas

Churches, shops, restaurants and bars line this area in Cusco and is a great way to spend the afternoon(s). Street vendors of various goods and artists with their cheap painting fill this area, so you will have to deal with them, but the historical center is quite nice.

Sapo

Play the traditional bar game of Peru! In essence, you throw coins at a table with a bronze sapo (toad) attached to it. Points are awarded for making it into the holes in the table with extra points for getting it into the toad’s mouth. This is a great way to bond with locals, as the throwing technique can be a bit tough to grasp.

Affordability

The Peruvian Nuevo Sol is the currency of Cusco. In general, the further away you get from the city center (where the tourists generally flock) the cheaper it becomes. However, Cusco is a cheap place to live in anyway. You shouldn’t have any problems with money than you would in any other city you’d study abroad in (in fact you should find yourself surprised at how cheap everything is that you buy). In terms of getting money, there are ATMs all over Cusco, so you shouldn’t have a problem with that as well (though be sure to get money from the ATMs inside the banks for safety reasons).

The woes of being a student, it is hard to come by money at times. Here's a list of scholarships to choose from!

• Fulbright offers a number of scholarships for those traveling to Peru.
• Diversity abroad has a bunch of scholarships as well.
• More Study Abroad Grants and Scholarships