Church of Santo Domingo

The Church of Santo Domingo in Cuzco, Peru, is a significant example of the Cuzco style of architecture, which blends European Baroque influences with indigenous construction techniques. This church, consecrated in 1654, was built upon the foundations and walls of the Koricancha, also known as the Temple of the Sun, an important Inca religious site.12

The Koricancha was originally dedicated to Inca deities and served as an astronomical observatory. Its walls were once covered in gold, and its gardens featured gold statuettes. When the Spanish conquered the Inca empire, they converted many Inca structures, including the Koricancha, into churches and other colonial buildings. The Church of Santo Domingo exemplifies this fusion, with its European Baroque facade and interior decoration built upon the precisely cut Inca stonework.21