CUSCO

CUSCO, NAVEL OF THE ANDEAN WORLD

SACRED JOURNEYS
Andean Connection
trips to the sacred places in the Andes

The sacred city of Cusco, capital of the Inkan Empire, was designed by the legendary Inka
Pachakuti in the physical shape of a Puma. At 10,900 ft. above sea level (3,300 m), Cusco was
the heart of the Tawantinsuyo, Peru's pre- Colombian Empire.

Cusco today is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America, a fascinating and
colourful paradox of the past and the present. When this ancient city was the Tawantinsuyo's
Capital it also must have been the biggest and most important metropolis of the continent. Pedro
Sancho de la Hoz, a Spanish soldier who acted as Pizarro's secretary, wrote in 1543 that in the
city were found a few thousand houses. Santiago Agurto following relative population densities
estimates about 100,000 persons for the urban zone and about 100,000 for the rural one, that
is, a total population of about 200,000 inhabitants.

Today Cusco is considered the oldest living city in the American Continent with a continuous
occupation of about 1,000 years until today. What is traditionally known as the Inka civilization
(empire or state) began approximately by 1200 A.D. in its initial phase, and later around 1400 A.
D. in its expansive phase. One of the most difficult epochs in the city's life, begun in 1533 with
the arrival and subsequent Spanish invasion and ethnocide. November 15th 1533, Francisco
Pizarro re-founded it for the Spanish King following the Spanish tradition on March 23rd 1534;
with the name and title of: THE VERY NOBLE AND GREAT CITY OF Cusco. In 1535 Pizarro
founded the new capital in Lima that immediately gained importance and power even until today.
In 1536 Manko Inka began a long and bloody war against the Spanish invaders having a siege
of 8 months over the city. Finally in 1572, after a war that lasted 36 years, Tupaq Amaru I, the
last emperor of the Inkan dynasty was defeated, captured and executed cutting his head off in
Cusco's Main Square.

In Cusco, we also find the Santo Domingo church, built over what once was the most magnificent
temple in the Americas, the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun. Its courtyards were filled with life-
sized gold and silver representations of all the flora and fauna of the Empire. Pizarro's men
looted the temple as part of Inka Atahualpa royal ransom, who was held prisoner in Cajamarca
by the Spaniards and later killed. An earthquake destroyed the Santo Domingo church in 1950
revealing the Inka walls that were hidden or plastered over. These walls of the Temple of the
Sun are some of the finest example of Inka stonework in existence.

The Plaza de Armas, called Wakaypata by the Quechuas, signifies cry or moan, and originated
in the expressions of reverence and celebrations with which the priests or military ceremonies
were carried out in this place. It existed different solar meters at all those places and the Andean
masters used as observatories to have the control of the time.

The terrain in Cusco is steep, combining fertile inter-Andean valleys with impressive mountains
that descend to the rim of the jungle where the temperature rises and the landscape is
transformed through a variety of vegetation.

The city of Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire, was placed on the World Cultural
Heritage List by UNESCO in 1983, and is without a doubt one of the destinations in Peru. There
are Inkan buildings waiting for you to discover them among its cobble-stoned streets, ones like
the Korikancha and the palace of Inka Roca. In addition, you can visit the picturesque
neighborhood of San Blas where the artisans in the department have set up their workshops.
This magical city also has an exciting nightlife with cafes, restaurants, and bars for all tastes.
Just ten minutes away from the city, there are the massive walls of Sacsaywaman, and a few
kilometers from there, you find the archeological sites as Q’enko, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay,
Pisac, Maras, Chinchero, and Ollantaytambo.

From Cusco, it is possible to catch the train to Machu Picchu. Another way of getting to the
Sacred City is by following one of the Inka Trails, a spectacular network of pathways that snake
their way among the mountains and overwhelming countryside. This is one of the best trekking
routes in the world, since scattered throughout it, you find remarkable archeological sites and
areas rich in flora and fauna.

The enigmatic complex of Machu Picchu, the most important and beautiful legacy of the Inkas, is
part of the Historic Sanctuary of the same name, which is also one of the few places in the
Americas placed on both the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Lists by UNESCO. It is located
high on a mountain and complements the exuberant nature that surrounds it.