San Blas Neighbourhood

San Blas climbs the hillside above the Cusco centre on lanes too steep and narrow for most vehicles, whitewashed walls on Inca foundations, blue doors, and a small square with a fountain. It has been the artisans' quarter since the colonial period - the Mérida and Olave families among others kept image-carving and sculpture workshops here for generations - and the tradition continues in a mix of genuine workshops, galleries and shops aimed at visitors. The church of San Blas, small and plain outside, holds a carved cedar pulpit of extraordinary intricacy, generally considered among the finest wood carving in the Americas, with figures, foliage and a skull at the top around which the usual story attaches. Gentrification has gone a long way: rents have risen, cafés and hostels have replaced workshops, and the character of the barrio is much debated locally.

What you actually see

• The pulpit - a carved cedar work in San Blas church, among the finest in the Americas.
• The lanes - steep whitewashed streets on Inca foundations.
• The workshops - carving and craft studios, some of long-established families.
• The change - cafés and rentals replacing the artisan trades.

When to go

April to October. Two to three hours wandering. Mornings are quieter. The church has restricted hours and is on the religious circuit ticket.

Honest expectations

The climb from the plaza is steep at 3,400 metres. Many shops sell imported or mass-produced goods as local craft. Photography inside the church is prohibited. Crowded on the main lane through the middle of the day.

Nearby

The Plaza de Armas is below; the twelve-angled stone is on the way up.