The porticoes surrounding Cusco’s Plaza de Armas are stone arcades built during the colonial period that document the city’s economic and social transformation. These structures are not mere decoration: they were commercial spaces where specific products were traded, each with its own history.
There are currently eight porticoes, although during the early colonial era there were only seven. Each received names that changed according to the commercial activities carried out there. To understand the porticoes, one must first understand the plaza on which they were built.
From Huacaypata to Plaza de Armas: the reduction of a sacred space
During the Inca Empire, the area where the Plaza de Armas now stands was part of Huacaypata – a name which, according to Cusqueñan historian Víctor Angles, means “place of weeping,” although other researchers such as María Rostworowski propose “Aucaypata” (place of the warrior) and George Squier suggests “Huacapata” (sacred place).
The debate over the name reflects a linguistic issue: Quechua was an oral language, and Spanish chroniclers transcribed it inconsistently. What is documented is that the Inca plaza was five times larger than today’s. It included what are now Plaza de Armas, Plaza Regocijo, Plaza Espinar and several surrounding blocks.
The Saphy River now channeled underground divided the area into two sectors: Huacaypata to the northeast and Cusipata to the southwest. According to Angles, these names had symbolic meaning: Huacaypata (place of weeping) for ceremonies of meditation that ended in expressions of sorrow, and Cusipata (place of joy) for celebrating military victories.
When Manco Cápac arrived in the Cusco valley, the area was a swamp formed by the Saphy and Tullumayo rivers. Inca Sinchi Roca ordered the swamp to be dried using soil brought from the mountains. Pachacútec completed the work by bringing sand from the coastal region. The administrative and religious center of the Tahuantinsuyo was built upon this terrain.
In 1555, the magistrate Sebastián Garcilaso de la Vega (father of the chronicler Inca Garcilaso) authorized the construction of buildings in the middle of Huacaypata, reducing the Inca plaza to about one-third of its original size. These new buildings with stone porticoes divided the space and created the current city blocks between Espaderos, Del Medio, Mantas and other streets.
1.-Portal of Meat: from the Inquisition’s Commissioner to the market
This portico is located to the right of the Cathedral, between Espaderos and Del Medio streets. During the early colonial period, it was known as the Portal of the Commissioner of the Inquisition because the Commissioner of the Inquisition lived there; his secret chamber and torture chamber were built near the Cathedral before the Chapel of the Holy Family existed.
In 1895 it acquired its current name when the Plaza de Armas functioned as a market. Vendors sold meat and sausages directly in this area, turning the portico into a butcher zone. The name change reflects the shift in function: from headquarters of inquisitorial power to a center of popular commerce.
2.-Portal of Flour: the house of the “Demon of the Andes”
Located between Espaderos and Del Medio streets, this portico owes its name to the merchant families who sold wheat flour, corn flour, broad bean flour, chuño and jora. The sacks were stacked against the walls and sold directly there. Jora flour was particularly important because it was used to prepare chicha the sacred Inca beverage that continued to be consumed during the colonial era.
Its original name was Portal of Carbajal’s Marble, after the house of Francisco de Carbajal known as the “Demon of the Andes.” Carbajal served in the forces of Gonzalo Pizarro during the Battle of Jaquijahuana (1548) in the Anta plain. This battle pitted Pizarro against the royalist forces led by Pedro de la Gasca during the Great Encomenderos Rebellion.
After the defeat, La Gasca ordered Carbajal to be beheaded and quartered. Parts of his body were placed at four strategic points at the entrance to Cusco as a warning. The flour merchants later changed the portico’s name, erasing the memory of the executed conquistador.
3.-Portal of Bread: the slap that gave it its name
This third portico is located between Plateros and Procuradores streets, built over the palace of Inca Pachacútec. Francisco Pizarro took possession of this structure and turned it into a prison for his enemies during the civil wars among conquistadors.
During colonial times it was called Portal of Kasana. Its current name comes from the bread trade established afterward, but it was also known as the “Portal of the Slap” due to an incident documented in Franciscan chronicles.
The story tells of a young woman who wanted to buy chutacas with cinnamon at a bakery in the portico. The vendor refused to sell to her. The Economus priest, wanting to please the young woman, ordered the tonsured friar to give her the loaf of bread. When he did not comply, the priest slapped him so hard that he fell to the ground. The Spaniard Benito Suárez Carbajal witnessed the scene and, defending the tonsured man, slapped the Franciscan friar Orriamún, knocking him down.
The crowd caused a great uproar while the magistrate walked away holding the young woman by the arm. The Mercedarian friar, wiping blood from his mouth and looking at the magistrate, exclaimed: “Wretched swordsman, you will not die a good death.” The prediction came true on the night of June 24, 1549, when the carpenter Vicente Corbanál killed the first Magistrate of Cusco.
4.-Portal of Confectionery: María’s sweets
Located in front of the Cathedral, between the corners of Espaderos and Del Medio streets, this portico was originally called Portal of Fry Shops because fried animal entrails were sold at low prices. Poor people and market vendors would come at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to eat in the smoky stalls located there.
The name change occurred during the bishopric of Juan Alonso Ocón. A freed dark-skinned woman named María settled in the portico and dedicated herself to making nougats and candies. Her business became so successful that during Corpus Christi the portico filled with people waiting to try her sweets. The candies replaced the fried foods, and the name changed permanently.
5.-Portal of Commerce: goods from overseas
This portico is located between Del Medio and Mantas streets. During the emancipation period it was known as the Portal of Rag Sellers. The name changed when Spanish and Jewish merchants established shops selling Paño de Segovia (fine fabric) and products from renowned Castilla.
These imported Spanish goods were highly valued by women of the colonial era. The portico became a center of luxury commerce, in contrast to other porticoes where basic goods such as meat or flour were sold. The presence of Jewish merchants is historically significant: although the Inquisition operated in Cusco, a Jewish merchant community managed to settle here.
6.-Portal of the Society of Jesus: the Jesuit treasure
Formerly known as the Portal of Tailors until the Jesuit temple was inaugurated with fifty friars who settled in the three cloisters of the spacious convent. The construction was directed by brothers Pietro and Ludovico Maieroni, both architects and Jesuit priests.
A story claims that a great treasure is hidden in the lower choir vault of the church. This legend is based on documents referring to the immense wealth the Jesuits accumulated before their expulsion in 1767 by order of King Charles III.
7.-Portal of Reeds: construction materials
This is the only portico that has preserved its original name since colonial times. It was so called because long reeds and maguey wood materials used to build roof structures with tiles were sold there.
Artisan sculptors and fireworks makers also bought reeds here. Fireworks makers used them to build reed towers for patron saint festivals a tradition that continues in present-day Cusqueñan celebrations. The common people called it “Soqos qhatupúrtal” in Quechua.
8.-Portal of Bethlehem: the patroness of Cusco
Located to the left of the Cathedral at the corner of Triunfo Street, this portico received its name in honor of the Virgin of Bethlehem. In 1645, Bishop Juan Alonso Ocón, at the request of the secular council, declared Our Lady of Bethlehem the Patroness of Arms and Patroness of the city.
Don Idelfonso de Gandarillas, councilman and owner of one of the houses in the portico, placed a sign near the street entrance saying: “This is the Portal of Bethlehem.” The Virgin of Bethlehem was the oldest in the city and had more devotees than other Marian devotions, which is why she received this patronage title.
Architecture of the porticoes: technique and function
The porticoes were built with stone arcades using Cusqueñan labor. The technique combines Indigenous stone-carving knowledge with Spanish architectural design of semicircular arches. The walls have Inca foundations in several cases especially those built over palaces such as Pachacútec’s (Portal of Bread).
The arches allowed circulation protected from rain and sun. During colonial times, the porticoes served as extensions of the shops: merchants would take products out under the arches to display them to buyers who walked protected from the weather. This urban design typical of Spanish main squares was adapted to Cusco’s climatic needs.
The height of buildings with porticoes could not exceed two stories, a regulation that remains in place today to preserve architectural harmony. The façades must be painted white, creating the uniform appearance that characterizes the plaza.
The plaza today: tourism over commerce
Today, the porticoes house tourist restaurants, travel agencies, jewelry shops and craft stores. The trade of basic products meat, flour, bread was moved to specialized markets such as San Pedro.
The transformation occurred gradually during the 20th century. In the 1970s, the plaza still partially functioned as a market. The municipality decided to remove street vendors to turn the plaza into an exclusively tourist attraction. This decision generated controversy among Cusqueñans who viewed the plaza as a traditional public space.
The debate over the plaza’s use continues. Some defend its tourist transformation as necessary for the local economy. Others criticize that the plaza lost its function as a space for citizen gathering, becoming instead a stage for tourist consumption.
Practical information for visitors
Location: The Plaza de Armas is in the historic center of Cusco, at 3,400 meters above sea level. It is within walking distance from anywhere in the downtown area.
Suggested route: Start with your back to the Cathedral. The first portico on your right is the Portal of Meat. Continue clockwise: Portal of Flour, Portal of Bread, Portal of Confectionery, Portal of Commerce, Portal of the Society of Jesus, Portal of Reeds and Portal of Bethlehem.
Best time: Early morning (7:00–9:00) to observe the architecture without crowds. At night (after 7:00 p.m.), the porticoes have special lighting.
Events: The plaza is the setting for festivities such as Corpus Christi (movable date in June), Inti Raymi (June 24), Santurantikuy (December 24) and New Year celebrations.
Services: Under the porticoes you will find ATMs, paid public restrooms, tourist information points and currency exchange services.
Why are these porticoes important?
The porticoes document the economic history of colonial Cusco. Their names reveal what products were traded, which social groups controlled commerce and how urban economic life was spatially organized.
The presence of the Inquisition’s Commissioner in one portico shows ecclesiastical power. The Jewish merchants in another reflect communities operating despite inquisitorial restrictions. Indigenous women selling in the porticoes of basic goods demonstrate continuity of pre-Hispanic commercial practices.
The anecdote of the slap preserved in Franciscan chronicles documents tensions between religious orders and civil authorities. The fulfillment of the Mercedarian’s “prediction” reflects how violence shaped power relations in the early colonial era.
The porticoes are also evidence of architectural resilience. They have survived the earthquakes of 1650, 1950 and others. This resistance is partly due to the Inca foundations beneath them the same principle that explains the survival of the Qoricancha walls under the Santo Domingo convent.
Walking through Cusco’s porticoes is walking through layers of history: an Inca swamp turned ceremonial plaza, a vast Inca square reduced to one-third of its size, a colonial commercial space transformed into a tourist stage. Each portico tells a part of this story of continuous transformation.
