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5:30-8pm Mon-Sat, 6:30am-noon & 6:30-8pm Sun) dates from the 16th and 17th centuries, and is one of the few that didn’t need to be completely reconstructed after the 1650 earthquake. It has a large collection of colonial religious paintings and a well-carved cedar choir. The attached museum (admission S5; 9am-noon & 3-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) houses supposedly the largest painting in South America, which measures 9m by 12m and shows the family tree of St Francis of Assisi, the founder of the order. Also of macabre interest are the two crypts, which are not totally underground. Inside are plenty of human bones, some of which have been carefully arranged in designs meant to remind visitors of the transitory nature of life.

San Blas

IGLESIA DE SAN BLAS

This simple adobe church (Plaza San Blas; admission S15 or with boleto religioso; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun) is comparatively small, but you can’t help but be awed by the baroque, gold-leaf principal altar. The exquisitely carved pulpit, made from a single tree trunk, has been called the finest example of colonial wood carving in the Americas. Legend claims that its creator was an indigenous man who miraculously recovered from a deadly disease and subsequently dedicated his life to carving this pulpit for the church. Supposedly, his skull is nestled in the topmost part of the carving. In reality, no one is certain of the identity of either the skull or the woodcarver.

MUSEO DE ARTE PRECOLOMBINO

Inside a Spanish colonial mansion with an Inca ceremonial courtyard, this dramatically curated pre-Columbian art museum (23-3210; map.perucultural.org.pe; Plazoleta Nazarenas 231; admission S20; 9am-10pm) showcases a stunningly varied, if selectively small, collection of archaeological artifacts previously buried in the vast storerooms of Lima’s Museo Larco (Click here). Dating from between 1250 BC to AD 1532, the artifacts show off the artistic and cultural achievements of many of Peru’s ancient cultures, with exhibits labeled in Spanish, English and French. Highlights include the Nazca and Moche galleries of multicolored ceramics, queros (ceremonial Inca wooden drinking vessels) and dazzling displays of jewelry made with intricate gold- and silverwork.

MUSEO INKA

The charmingly modest Museo Inka (23-7380; Tucumán at Ataúd; admission S10; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat), a steep block northeast of the Plaza de Armas is the best museum in town for those interested in the Incas. The restored interior is jam-packed with a fine collection of metal- and goldwork, jewelry, pottery, textiles, mummies, models and the world’s largest collection of queros. There’s excellent interpretive information in Spanish, and English-speaking guides are usually available for a small fee.

The museum building, which rests on Inca foundations, is also known as the Admiral’s House, after the first owner, Admiral Francisco Aldrete Maldonado. It was badly damaged in the 1650 earthquake and rebuilt by Pedro Peralta de los Ríos, the count of Laguna, whose crest is above the porch. Further damage from the 1950 earthquake has now been fully repaired, restoring the building to its position among Cuzco’s finest colonial houses. Look for the massive stairway guarded by sculptures of mythical creatures, and the corner window column that from the inside looks like a statue of a bearded man but from the outside appears to be a naked woman. The ceilings are ornate, and the windows give good views straight out across the Plaza de Armas.

Downstairs in the sunny courtyard, highland Andean weavers demonstrate their craft and sell traditional textiles directly to the public.

MUSEO DE ARTE RELIGIOSO

Originally the palace of Inca Roca, the foundations of this museum (cnr Hatunrumiyoc & Herrajes; admission S15 or with boleto religioso; 8-11am & 3-6pm Mon-Sat) were converted into a grand colonial residence and later became the archbishop’s palace. The beautiful mansion is now home to a religious-art collection notable for the accuracy of its period detail, and especially its insight into the interaction of indigenous peoples