Cusco UNESCO World Heritage Site
Peru’s Inca Heartland Gateway to Machu Picchu & The Sacred Valley
Mar 15, 2009
Many people, including the Wari who lived here during the 8th and 9th centuries, inhabited the area now known as Cusco, the capital city of The Inca Heartland, before the Incas took it over as their military, administration and religious hub.
Pachacutec, one of the most revered Incan leaders, and an ingenious civil engineer, modeled the city of Cusco after the sacred puma when Incan emperors ruled the valley.
The Spanish Invasion of Cusco
With the arrival of the Spanish, Francisco Pizarro defeated the Incan rulers and took Cusco for Spain. Over time, colonial mansions and administrative buildings replaced Incan constructions until Cusco became, and remains to this day, a unique blend of Spanish and Andean architecture as well as culture.
Cusco faded into memory once the Spanish left and the city returned to a quiet Andean city until Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911, and the city began another transformation to one of the most frequented dots on the tourist map. Thankfully, the city has retained its dignity despite the hordes of tourists that invade each day.
Cusco, Peru - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the picturesque city of Cusco enfolds Spanish arches and squares framed by cobble stone streets. Stout white houses with earth tone roofs sit low in the valley in the palm of thundering mountains.
Francisco Pizarro claimed Cusco for Spain at the Plaza de Armas, the remaining city centre. Until this time, the Incas had used this square for ceremonial purposes. Today, few Incan influences remain. Stone arches, the Cathedral and the Jesuit church of La Compania dominate the square, along with a multitude of restaurants serving local flavour as well as a tastefully incorporated MacDonald’s.
All over the city, fringes of both major influences in Cusco’ rich history collide. The Peruvian flag, red and white, as well as the official rainbow flag of Cusco, believed to be from the ancient Incan Empire, fly high over the Plaza de Armas, cutting through the often grey sky. Local women dressed in layered skirts of various colours, stovetop hats perched on their heads, liven up the intense and sombre Spanish architecture of Plaza de Armas with their chit chat in Quechua, the local language.
Peru’s Gateway to Machu Picchu and The SacredValley
Cusco holds many attractions to discover while adjusting to the high altitude climate and lack of oxygen. Spend a day or two strolling the cobble streets of this enchanting city, its wide array of museums and points of interest, before exploring the many sites in The Sacred Valley.
The remains of Tambomachay, Q’enqo, Pucapucara, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, the circular terraces at Moray and the “City in the Clouds” Machu Picchu near Cusco demonstrate the unique ability of the Incas and their impressive aptitude for architecture and hydraulics.
Well-deserving the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cusco, Peru blends Andean traditions with Colonial Spanish architecture and ruins from bygone Incan and other indigenous civilisations.
Along with its many attractions, the location makes it easy to get to and from Cusco, making this area one of the most popular South American tourist spots, and a city not soon forgotten.
