Do you need a licensed guide in Cusco and at Machu Picchu?

A day with a licensed guide

what

Rodrigo speaks Spanish, Quechua and English. He studied three years and passed history exams for his licence; guiding without one is illegal in Peru, and at the ruins they ask for the card.

when

His day begins at half past seven at the hotel. High season is May to September, when it does not rain; in January and February there is hardly any work, and many guides drive taxis or farm.

where

From the Plaza de Armas down to the Qorikancha, the temple of the sun, and to Hatun Rumiyoc street, where everyone photographs the twelve-angled stone.

who

Groups who arrive breathless. The first question is not about history but about who has a headache.

why

He explains the same wall four times a day and looks for a new way each time. At home he speaks Quechua again.

• An official tourism guide in Cusco needs a licence, which takes three years of study and history exams; guiding without one is illegal.
• High season runs May to September, when it does not rain; in the rainy months there is far less work.
• The twelve-angled stone in Hatun Rumiyoc street fits its neighbours without mortar on twelve sides.

Lo primero no es la historia: es preguntar quién durmió mal y quién tiene dolor de cabeza.

The first thing is not history: it is asking who slept badly and who has a headache.

En la calle Hatun Rumiyoc enseña la piedra de doce ángulos, y todos sacan fotos.

In Hatun Rumiyoc street he shows the twelve-angled stone, and everyone takes photos.

La temporada alta va de mayo a septiembre, cuando no llueve.

The high season runs from May to September, when it does not rain.