Colonial Churches in Cusco: A Historic Journey into the Colonial Past

In the 16th century, when the Spaniards arrived, Cusco stopped being just the capital of the Inca Empire and became dotted with churches and convents. These Cusco Colonial Churches, often built atop ancient Inca walls, blend European design with Andean building traditions.

Visiting Cusco Colonial Churches offers a unique window into Peru’s spiritual and artistic evolution. From richly carved altars to baroque façades, each church reveals stories shaped by history, devotion, and indigenous creativity.

On this route, we’ll explore everything from the Church of La Merced (1535) to the Temple of San Sebastián (1799), uncovering the legends and masterpieces that make Cusco Colonial Churches essential for anyone exploring the soul of the Andes. Come along for a journey through stone, faith, and tradition!

A Journey Through the History of La Merced (1535 – 1670)

Brief History
La Merced was the first Mercedarian church in Cusco, founded by Father Sebastián de Trujillo Castañeda around 1535–1536. Pizarro himself donated the land—right by Plazoleta Espinar, just off the Plaza de Armas. After the devastating 1650 earthquake, the original building lay in ruins; its reconstruction from 1651 to 1670 gave us the church we see today.

• In the main cloister rests the famous Custodia Mercedaria, a 22 kg masterpiece of goldsmithing studded with diamonds and pearls.
• Beneath the floor lie the remains of key figures like Diego de Almagro “the Elder” and Gonzalo Pizarro.
• Since 1972 it’s part of Cusco’s Monumental Zone, and UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1983.

San Blas: The Oldest Parish in Cusco (1544 – 1650)

Brief History
Built starting in 1544 under Bishop Juan Solano, San Blas stands on what was once an Inca sanctuary to the god Illapa. The 1650 earthquake badly damaged its adobe walls, which were later reinforced with stone.

• It’s considered Cusco’s oldest parish, one of the first five set up for the Indigenous population.
• The neighborhood of San Blas—still known as the “Artisans’ Quarter”—has long been home to woodcarvers and weavers.

Cusco Colonial Churches: San Francisco de Asís (1572 – 1652)

Brief History
Franciscan friars arrived in Cusco soon after the Spanish founded the city, settling here in 1549. In 1572, Viceroy Toledo ordered a church built on land Hernando Pizarro donated (once the Hospital of San Lázaro). The original church was torn down in 1645 for an update, but the 1650 quake destroyed those works, and the current building was finished in 1652.

• Below the church lie crypts that once served as burial vaults for clergy and worshippers.
• The adjacent convent preserves “The Genealogy of the Franciscan Order,” a massive 12 × 9 m painting from 1699 by Juan Espinoza de los Monteros—one of South America’s largest.

The Artistic Legacy of San Francisco de Asís (1688)

Brief History
Erected in 1688 on the site of the colonial “Hospital de Naturales” (founded in 1556 for Indigenous residents), San Pedro was designed by local architect Juan Tomás Tuyro Túpac, who used stone from nearby Cerro Picchu. An earlier chapel from 1572 was lost in the 1650 quake, and this version was completed under Bishop Manuel de Mollinedo, keeping its Franciscan roots alive.

• It stands right across from the bustling San Pedro Market, Cusco’s oldest and busiest food market.
• Its gilded main altar and side altars, richly carved in wood and covered in gold leaf, are among the finest examples of Cuzco Baroque.

Cusco Colonial Churches: San Sebastián (1560 – 1799)

Brief History
Construction began around 1560 on adobe-and-stone foundations, with expansions and renovations stretching all the way to 1799. In September 2016, a fire destroyed the high altar, sculptures, and 24 paintings by Diego Quispe Tito, leaving the church unusable. From 2017, the Archdiocese commissioned the Don Bosco Artisans of Chacas to rebuild the main altar—work that began in June 2018 and aimed for completion in 2021.

• Legend says that during a plague, locals processed to San Sebastián; the next day, the outbreak mysteriously ceased, deepening devotion to the saint.
• The plaza before the church still has an old colonial fountain and the former workshop-home of painter Diego Quispe Tito—a must-see for art lovers.

Embark on this historic path through colonial Cusco and feel how centuries of faith, artistry, and cultural fusion come to life in every stone and golden retablo. From the grand Church of La Merced to the venerable San Sebastián, each temple stands as a living witness to the blend of European Baroque and Andean tradition.