What cultural etiquette should I know for Cusco?

The single biggest etiquette mistake in Cusco happens on Plaza de Armas within the first hour. Women in bright layered polleras and monteras stand with llamas near the Cusco Cathedral, built from 1559. They are not street performers. They earn their living from photos, and the expected payment is 1-2 soles per shot, roughly 30-60 US cents at the current rate of 3.38 PEN per dollar. Snapping without paying will get you a sharp word in Quechua. Some visitors freeze up and avoid eye contact entirely, which is worse. Smile, ask 'foto?', hold up a 2-sol coin, and wait for the nod. The same courtesy applies at San Pedro Market, where textile vendors will sometimes pose with their wares if you ask.

Coca leaf culture catches first-timers off guard. At 3,400 meters, altitude hits hard. Dry cold air stings your nostrils, your temples throb, and the stone stairs of Saqsaywaman feel steeper than they look. Locals have chewed coca for centuries here. Hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants in San Blas keep a bowl of coca tea bags at the front desk. Accept it. The warm, slightly bitter tea tastes like mild green tea with an earthy, grassy finish. Refusing a cup when your host offers one is a social misstep. It signals that you think coca equals cocaine, which is a sore point in the Andes. Mate de coca is legal throughout Peru and about as psychoactive as a cup of chamomile.

Cusco has more active Catholic churches per square kilometer than almost any city in South America. The Church of the Society of Jesus on Plaza de Armas, dating to 1668, and the Cathedral next door both enforce a dress code. Knees and shoulders covered. No hats inside. Photography is banned in most nave interiors, and the guards will wave you down if you try. Mind you, Andean Catholicism here is layered with pre-Columbian Inca belief. You will see offerings of coca leaves, chicha corn beer, and flowers left at carved stones and doorways. Do not touch or move these despachos. They are prayers to Pachamama, not decorations. The same respect applies at Coricancha, the original Inca sun temple from around 1201, where the Spanish built Santo Domingo monastery directly on top of the Inca walls.

At San Pedro Market, 4 blocks west of Plaza de Armas, bargaining is expected for textiles and souvenirs but never for food. The juice vendors along the second-floor balcony sell tall glasses of fresh papaya or lucuma for 3-5 soles. That price is the price. Loudly haggling over a 4-sol juice embarrasses you, not the vendor. That said, for crafts, a quiet counter-offer of 70-80% of the asking price is normal. Walk away softly if the price does not move. No theatrics. Cusqueños tend to speak quietly and value calm exchanges. Raising your voice in a dispute, even at a taxi stand, reads as aggressive. One Quechua phrase goes a long way. 'Allinllachu' (are you well?) spoken to a market vendor or hostel cleaner in San Blas will likely earn you a surprised grin and a warmer interaction for the rest of your stay.