Cuzco means navel or centre of the earth and it sits snugly in Peru, down in South America.

This utterly beautiful city is a picture to behold as you fly in between the towering mountains and over the terracotta roofs.  I was here destined to trek to the famous Machu Picchu, an absolute thrill in itself. 

But it is in Cuzco that I had one of my spiritual connections.
 
Of course, on arrival we spent a few days enjoying the city and on one particular day we went to the Santo Domingo Church.  The ground that this church now sits is truly special because the most magnificent of all Inca temples originally stood there, the Temple of the Sun.  The Coricancha (or Qoricancha) which means “Golden Courtyard” or “corral of gold” was the main astronomical observatory location for the Incas and was dedicated to the creator god, known as Viracocha and the sun god, Inti. This location was incredibly important and housed thousands of priests and attendants.
 
Years of glory reigned for the Incas in Peru but it came to tragic end when the Spaniards arrived on their shores and systemically killed them and ransacked the place.  The Incas gold supply was the major reason for their demise.  All their jewellery, ornaments, decorations and buildings were laden heavy with this precious metal.  The Spaniards raped and pillaged as much as they could and the Temple of the Sun was brought down. 

In the 17th Century, the Spaniards decided to use what was left of the Inca polished stone walls of the Temple for the foundations of the Convent of Santo Domingo.  Although their baroque church is hardly as significant as the imposing Inca complex, at least the remaining stonework has been preserved.  And now, you can even marvel at five original chambers of the temple, previously hidden away under the cloisters.

But I digress! I am wandering through Santo Domingo Convent enjoying the incredible the foundations and the Convent surroundings.  We enter a building that is empty except for an altar and as I look around I burst into tears.  I am totally overcome and awash with feelings of emotions that do not seem explicable.  I dab my eyes as I walk around looking and wondering and wishing I knew why.  I didn’t feel the need to flee but there was a thickness and heaviness in the air that had me gripped.  Was it the spot I was standing on?  The knowledge of what had happened years ago, most likely explains the reasons why there is such an energy spiral?  But I wish I knew exactly what it was.  Was it Inca energy or was it Spanish?  I will never know, but experiencing that amazing weight of energy, for it to get inside of me and turn on my emotional switch in a way that cannot be explained, is really astonishing. 

When I think of Santo Domingo/Coricancha, it will always hold special place for me and I like to think that the Incans huge golden sun disc still bathes what is left of the temple in light, and that the lesser natural gods: the moon, venus, thunder, lightning, and rainbows have forgiven the conquerors and look kindly at all of those who now live in Cuzco.