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In Inkan times, one of the most important buildings
over the great Qosqo's Main Plaza was the Aqllawasi (House of Chosen
Women, or Virgins of the Sun). It was something like an Andean Monastery
for noble women chosen among the prettiest and most virtuous in the
whole Quechua territory. They were devoted to the cult of the Sun God;
to the preparation of its ceremonies; to the weaving of clothing for the
Inka and for different religious purposes; to the preparation of the "Sanqhu"
(a ceremonial bread equivalent of the host in Christianity); and to the
manufacture of "Aqha" or sacred "chicha" (maize beer). Besides, those
women who kept perpetual virginity, also had to keep inside their
monastery for the whole year the Sacred Fire produced in the Inti Raymi.
Those maidens living in the Aqllawasi had two categories: the daughters
of noble blood Quechuas, considered as Sun's wives who had higher status
and those daughters of privileged nobles that were considered as the
Inka's wives. All of them were instructed by and under the care of the "Mamakuna"
who were a sort of priestesses among the most skillful veterans in
domestic and ceremonial affairs. No man could see them, not even the
same Inka; just the "Qoya" (the Inka's main wife) and her daughters
could visit them. According to the law, if any male had personal
intimate relations with a chosen woman, himself, his family, his
neighbors and his whole people were eliminated as well as their cattle,
and his town was covered with salt for having nursed such a bad son.
Garcilaso indicates about this rule that " This was the law, but it was
never carried out, because it was never known that someone transgressed
it... The Inkas never promulgated laws for frightening their vassals
neither for transgressing them, but for executing and performing them
with those who dared breaking them.". The Aqllawasi building covered a
whole enormous block and was located where now is the Church and
Monastery of Dominican Nuns of Santa Catalina and many other private
buildings close to it.
It was Lucia Isabel Rivera de Padilla who in 1601 founded in Qosqo City
the Santa Catalina Monastery after having had the bitter experience of
having seen the monastery she had founded in 1559 in Arequipa destroyed
by eruption of the Waynaputina Volcano. Subsequently, she built the
ancient church which as well as the monastery were destroyed by an
earthquake in 1650. The present-time structure was begun one year later
being finished after 4 short years. The altarpieces that are found in
the church and monastery were carved by diverse local craftsmen toward
the second half of the XVII century. Besides, there are very important
pictorial works of Cusquenian School made by anonymous artists. Inside
the church there is a collection made by Juan Espinoza de los Monteros
representing Saint Catherine of Siena's life and the Remedies Virgin in
the Monastery Foundation. Lorenzo Sanchez Mefecit, another Cusquenian
painter made the huge canvas of the Virgin's Assumption and another
representing Saint Catherine of Siena's Glorification. The church has
also a gilded cedar wood Major Altar with blended styles, on the high
central part is the statue of the "The Holy Heart of Jesus Christ" and
lower Saint Catherine and Saint Dominic Guzman. Besides, there is a
pulpit carved in cedar wood and other four gilded minor altarpieces.
Nowadays, over here is a beautiful museum of colonial art which possibly
is the most complete in the city. By its entrance, in the first room
there are different canvases representing the "Lord of Earthquakes", and
some other different paintings mostly anonymous. Further ahead in the
passage, is another collection representing the life and miracles of
Saint Rose of Lima. The lower choir shows diverse canvases representing
Saint Dominic Guzman's life painted by Juan Espinoza de los Monteros and
a collection of nine rich chasubles embroidered with precious metal
threads. The Scriptures Room is interesting and contains murals all
around it representing the religious and virtuous life on the upper
side, and lower the courtier life; all painted by Tadeo Escalante. On
the second floor, there is an elaborate Nativity that becomes a trunk
when folded. The upper choir shows a rustic organ made in Qosqo and
paintings representing Saint Catherine's life.
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