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As the heart
of the once mighty Inca Empire - The magnetic city of
Cusco
About Cusco
The origins of Cusco get lost in the night of times. Archaeological excavations made us
know that primitive residents inhabited the valley of Cusco (except for its bottom, then
marshy) near three millenniums ago.
Toward the XII century, Manco Cápac and his sister-wife Mama
Ocllo emerged from the waters of the
Lake Titicaca, semi Gods daughter and son of Inti (the god Sun), with the
mission of the foundation of a new Kingdom that would improve the conditions of life of
the towns. Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo would have to walk until finding a place in the
earth where the great gold scepter that Manco Cápac had would submerge, they walked to
the north and they arrived to Pacárec Tampu (Pacaritambo) where rested in a small cave;
to the dawn they continued to the north arriving to the hill Huanacaure and there the
scepter submerged, and there he founded the city of Cusco (Quechua Language: the
navel of the world).
Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo left in people's search, and formed the Hanan
Cusco. They
taught them how to work the earth and how to sow; they made and used agricultural tools,
artificial irrigation systems, to build and to live in towns.
Inhabitants of other districts arrived when got informed of the events, creating this
way the Tahuantisuyo, the great empire of the
Incas, which limits, after 14 successors of real lineage, reached Colombia by the north,
and northern Chile and Argentina by the south; as capital Cusco reached its maximum
splendor.
It is known little more than names and legends from the first Incas kings, from
Pachacútec (1448-1471) more information has gotten, the great conqueror who transformed
Cusco, reconstructing it. The Spaniards arrived and occupied the city in 1533, when Huáscar (Pachacútec's grandson) was the Inca king.
In this time Cusco was a city of admirable architecture made in stone with wide plazas,
big temples and palaces decorated with abundant gold pieces. Many of these colossal
constructions have been built for the eternity.
The Spanish Cusco has like base the foundations of the Inca walls and the lines of its
streets, numerous buildings and churches were built, and a flourishing art school was
founded (XVII century - XVIII), represented by numerous painters and authors (paintings of
the "Escuela Cusqueña", pulpit of San
Blas, Custody of the Cathedral and the Iglesia de la Merced, etc.)
The cultural coalition Andean-Hispanic, has determined very special characteristics in its
architecture and population, city of incomparable beauty in the world, which conserves
with pride their customs and traditions, at the same time progressively is incorporated to
the modernity. To this is added the privileged geographical scenery, of beautiful
landscapes, in which has been developed.
Visiting
Cusco
Machu Picchu:
Is a mystical place, a monument to divinity, where
people can feel that they are a creation of God. The
high sense of spirituality that inhabits this place
seems to transport its visitors to a place where
everything "in an unimaginable way" is possible. It is a
place where strange forces of nature allow the
individuals to reach an incomparable cosmic state, a
state that can only be experimented in Machu Picchu. It
is one of the most popular archaeological sites of the
world, and therefore, the most visited attraction in
Peru.
Historical Center of Cusco:
To go over the historical center of Cusco, is walking by
the city that was traced and designed by the Incas, it
is like going for a walk by colonial buildings built on
the base of the old real palaces of the Incas, is the
coalition of two architectural styles that make it
unique in the world, it is the opportunity to appreciate
architectural and art jewels that contain their
centennial or millennial walls. Museums, churches, Inca
places, popular markets, handcrafts artisans, San Blas, and more.
Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman: 4 Km north
of Cusco. It embraces 3,000 hectares approximately,
where a rich Andean flora and extraordinary
Inca and Pre-Inca archaeological monuments as Sacsayhuaman, Kencco (or
Qenqo), Puca Pucará and Tambomachay.
Valle Sagrado de los Incas (The Sacred Valley): 15
Km north of Cusco. Called this way to the end of the
extensive valley of Urubamba, where the agricultural
cattlemen and beautiful towns were concentrated since
Inca times. The valley is characterized to have very
special conditions, as an excellent climate, very
fertile lands and the waters of the sacred river of the
Inca, Valle Sagrado is embraced between the towns of Písac and
Ollantaytambo, it has wonderful landscapes where its
inhabitants, native of the Quechua ethnic, conserve many
customs and ancestral rites.
Around Cusco: You can visit amazing scenarios
near to Cusco city, archaeological places, beautiful
towns and nature landscapes, as Chinchero, Maras, Moray,
Tipon, Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, enjoy their traditions
and folklore.
Inca Trail:
Part of the 23,000 kilometers (approximately 14,000
miles) of roads built by the Incas in South America,
this is Peru's most famous trekking route and possibly
one of the most spectacular in the Americas. Every year;
some 25,000 hikers from around the world walk along the
extraordinary 43 kilometers of this stone-paved road
built by the Incas leading to the unassailable citadel
of Machu Picchu located in the depth of the Cusco
jungle.
Also called Cuzco and Qosqo
Cusco is the most visited tourist destination in Peru, and the wealthy attractiveness
in the city and its areas around, as well as "Ciudad Perdida de los Incas" (Lost
City of the Incas), Machu Picchu, the new 7 wonders of the World, transforms it into one of the main tourist
attractiveness of the world, offering an excellent quality of tourist services.
We
recommend you visit combined Arequipa, Puno
and or
Tambopata
with Cusco
Cusco
Pictures - Cusco Photo Gallery
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