Cusco, “CITY LINED WITH GOLD“,
claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city. It has been inhabited for at least 2000 years.

Cusco’s rich history is still evident today. When the Spaniards conquered the city in 1534 the tore down Inca temples and used the stones to build their Spanish churches and mansions. Most of the gold was shipped to Spain. The remaining gold was used in the churches such as the cathedral of Cusco.

Colonial Architecture and Inc Architecture stand next to each other in perfect harmony, such as the belief of the local people. The best example for this is Coricancha,the ancient Inca Temple, which now is the Iglesias Santo Domingo. The same is true for the religion of the descendants of the Inca. While most of them are Christians believing in God they also pray to the Earth, the Mountains and the Sky.

Cusco is at the Gateway to the Valley of the Inca’s!

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Cusco, a city in the Peruvian Andes, was once capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th until the 16th-century Spanish conquest, and is now known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture.

Killke culture

The Killke people occupied the region from 900 to 1200 CE, prior to the arrival of the Inca in the 13th century. Carbon-14 dating of Saksaywaman, the walled complex outside Cusco, established that Killke constructed the fortress about 1100 CE. The Inca later expanded and occupied the complex in the 13th century. In March 2008, archaeologists discovered the ruins of an ancient temple, roadway and aqueduct system at Saksaywaman. The temple covers some 2,700 square feet (250 square meters) and contains 11 rooms thought to have held idols and mummies, establishing its religious purpose.

Inca history ;

Cusco was long an important center of indigenous people. It was the capital of the Inca Empire (13th century – 1532). Many believe that the city was planned as an effigy in the shape of a puma, a sacred animal. How Cusco was specifically built, or how its large stones were quarried and transported to the site remain undetermined.

Each local leader was required to build a house in the city and live part of the year in Cusco, restricted to the quarter that corresponded to the quarter in which he held territory. After the rule of Pachacuti, when an Inca died, his title went to one son and his property was given to a corporation controlled by his other relatives (split inheritance). Each title holder had to build a new house and add new lands to the empire, in order to own land for his family to keep after his death.

According to Inca legend, the city was rebuilt by Sapa Inca Pachacuti, the man who transformed the Kingdom of Cuzco from a sleepy city-state into the vast empire of Tawantinsuyu. Archaeological evidence, however, points to a slower, more organic growth of the city beginning before Pachacuti. The city was constructed according to a definite plan in which two rivers were channeled around the city. Archaeologists have suggested that this city plan was replicated at other sites.

The city fell to the sphere of Huáscar during the Inca Civil War after the death of Huayna Capac in 1527. It was captured by the generals of Atahualpa in April 1532 in the Battle of Quipaipan. Nineteen months later, Spanish explorers invaded the city after kidnapping and murdering Atahualpa and gained control because of their arms and horses, employing superior military technology.

In 1983, Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with the title “City of Cuzco”. It has become a major tourist destination, hosting nearly 2 million visitors a year. The Constitution of Peru designates it as the Historical Capital of Peru.  

Learn more at Wikipedia

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