CUSCO - PERU TRAVEL AND TOUR INFORMATION

CUSCO (also spelt Cuzco with a "z"), mythical capital of the Inca Empire, preserves its stone walls and battlements with pride, evoking the greatness of the "Children of the Sun". It's a city packed full of historical monuments and relics, of myths and legends, which seem to come to life every time you walk through its century old streets.

At 3,360 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.), in the Huatanay valley of the southeastern Andes of Peru, visiting Cusco is an unforgettable experience, as it allows you to uncover some of the mysteries of the Incas, because Cusco was the center, the "navel" of the Andean world.

The history of the Imperial City of Cusco, the legend goes, begins in the 11th or 12th century when the first Inca, Manco Capac, obeying the dictates of the Sun God, founded Cusco.

On March 23, 1534, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador of Peru, refounded the Inca city as a Spanish colonial settlement.

Today, Cusco, the archeological capital of Peru and America, is a city open to the world, warmly welcoming its many visitors. Visitors marvel at the city's unusual physical appearance, which uniquely and harmoniously integrates, in the same urban environmentr, pre-Colombian monuments such as the Korikancha, ("Temple of the Sun"), the Ajlla Wasi, the Amaru Cancha ("Fence of the Serpent"), and the Kiswar Kancha, amongst others, with "mestizo" (mixed Spanish and native) architectural gems such as Cusco Cathedral, the Church and Convent of La Merced and the Temple of San Blas.

The city of Cusco is surrounded by impressive archeological remains such as the citadel of Machu Picchu, the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the Ollantaytambo compound and picturesque towns such as Pisaq, Calca and Yucay, which still preserve the traditions of their ancestors.