The Convent of Santo Domingo is built on the remains of the Coricancha, the fabled Court of Gold.
It was looted by the Spaniards for royal ransom under the leadership of Juan Pizarro, and huge quantities of gold were taken. As well as jewels which had been wedged into holes in the stone walls, some 700 gold sheets weighing 4 and 1/2 pounds each were found. The golden altar itself weighed 190 pounds, and all of the findings were melted down. On top of the building, there was also a giant disk of gold, the "golden disk of the sun," and its whereabouts still hangs in mystery. (although it is presumed that it was melted down along with the rest of the gold.) Thousands of priests and attendants once lived here, and sacrifices were made on a daily basis.
An earthquake in 1950 caused much of the Spanish rebuilding to fall, leaving the inner walls which you can see today. If you visit it, take a good look at the vault in the wall from where the bulk of the treasures were removed.
