The artisan neighbourhood on the hillside northeast of the Plaza de Armas, reached by steep cobbled streets and stairways. San Blas is the best place in Cusco to watch craftspeople at work: workshops line the alleys selling and producing woodcarvings, ceramics, textiles, and religious art in the Escuela Cuzqueña (Cuzco School) tradition that flourished here during the colonial period.
The tiny colonial church of San Blas has one of the most elaborately carved wooden pulpits in the Americas — a gold-encrusted baroque masterpiece that fills the small nave almost entirely. The plaza in front is relaxed and pleasant; the restaurants around it tend to be better value than those on the Plaza de Armas. The walk up from the centre is steep but rewards you with increasingly good views over the city's terracotta rooftops.