CUSCO
Location:
Andean Region and Southern Peru jungle
Capital:
Cusco (3.399 msnm)
Population:
1' 216,168 inhabitants.
Climate:
The annual average maximum temperature is 19.6ºC (67.3ºF) and the minimum is 4.2ºC (39.6ºF)
Cusco is located in the southeastern region of Peru, Andean region and comprises part of the high forest. It has a rugged terrain, combines fertile valleys with impressive mountains that descend to the jungle.
Cusco is the historical capital of Peru and former capital of the Inca empire. It is the largest tourist destination in the country, declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1983.
Among its cobbled streets are discovered Incan buildings, such as Koricancha and the Palace of Inca Roca, with colonial buildings Andean Baroque style, as the Cathedral and the Church of the Company.
Around town, the fortress of Sacsayhuaman stands impressive as the former protector of the great city of Cuzco, further, the amphitheater Qenko, the fortress of Pukapukara and Tambomachay, and by the Sacred Valley of the Incas the town of Pisac and its impressive terraces, as well as the other towns of Maras, Moray, Yucay, Urubamba, Chinchero and Ollantaytambo, where lies the Fortress of Ollantaytambo which is the beginning of the Qhapaq Ñan Inca Trail. Finally, in the hills, the amazing Machu Picchu, Cultural Heritage of Humanity and one of the New Wonders of the World.
Machu Picchu, the most important and beautiful legacy of ancient Peruvian, is part Historical Sanctuary of the same name. It is located on top of a mountain and complements the exuberant nature that surrounds it, creating a unique and enigmatic place in the world. It is one of the few places in America, declared Cultural Heritage and Natural Heritage by UNESCO.
Tourist Attractions in Cusco
CUSCO PROVINCE
Main Square, Cusco
It was called "Huacaypata" in time of the Incas, Quechua word meaning "place of weeping or meeting. It was an important ceremonial site which was celebrated every year the Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun.In this square Francisco Pizarro proclaimed the conquest of Cusco. The Spanish built in the square a stone arches, with labor Cuzco, which endures to this day. Here are the cathedral and the church of La Compañía.
Cathedral of Cusco
The basilica cathedral was built between 1560 and 1664. To this end, the Spanish did bring blocks of red granite from the fortress known as Sacsayhuaman. Facade and Renaissance and Baroque interior Plateresque boasts one of the most outstanding examples of colonial goldsmith. Important are also carved wooden altars. Contains a large collection of paintings from the Cusco School and silver wrought pieces.
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús (Church of the Company of Jesus Christ)
It is considered one of the best examples of colonial baroque style of the American continent. Its construction was started by the Jesuits in 1571 on the basis of Amarucancha or palace of Inca Huayna Capac. Its facade is carved in stone and the altar is of carved wood and covered with gold leaf. This temple has a valuable collection of colonial paintings of the Cusco School.Barrio de San Blas (San Blas Neighborhood)
This neighborhood where the artisans are concentrated, is one of the most picturesque city. Its streets are steep and narrow with old houses built by the Spanish over important Inca foundations. It has an attractive square and the oldest parish church in Cuzco, built in 1563, which has a carved wooden pulpit considered the epitome of colonial Cuzco.Church and Convent of La Merced
The Baroque church was built between 1657 and 1680. Its cloisters of Baroque and Renaissance particularly prominent, and the choir stalls, colonial paintings, wood carvings and its most precious treasure, an impressive custody in gold and precious stones 1.3 m high and 22 pounds, topped by a large pearl in mermaid form, considered the second largest in the world.Church and Convent of Santo Domingo (Koricancha)
It was the most important shrine dedicated to the sun god at the time of the Inca Empire. This temple was named the site of gold and all its walls were covered with gold leaf by the Incas. Taking this structure as a base, was built here in 1534 the Convent of Santo Domingo, Renaissance style. The building, of a single tower barroque, height exceeds the other buildings in this city. Inside there is a important collection of paintings from the Cuzco School of painting.
Calle Hatun Rumiyoc
On the Calle Hatun Rumiyoc "Of the Rock Mayor" was the palace of Inca Roca, which currently belongs to the Archbishop's Palace.In this street that runs from the Plaza de Armas to the San Blas neighborhood, you can see the enigmatic "Stone of Twelve Angles," which is an admirable of the Inca in polish and placed each stones.Sacsayhuaman Archeological Complex
Located 1 miles (2 km) northeast from the city of Cusco (10 minutes by car)
The building started during the reign of Pachacuti, in the XV century, however, was Huayna Capac who culminated in the XVI century. It lies at an altitude of 3,700 masl and comprises 33 archaeological sites, of which the best known is the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. The Fortress was the site where the Incas worshiped the sun. The most important temple Hanan Qosqo or Cusco might have been located there, dedicated to Andean cosmology and to the worship of the Inti (sun). In Sacsayhuaman is carried out on 24 June at the winter solstice, the annual festival of Inti Raymi.
Qenko Archeological Complex
Located 2 miles (3 km) northwest from the city of Cusco (15 minutes by car)In the Quechua language Q'inqu "Labyrinth", was a shrine where ceremonies were held in honor of the sun, moon and stars. It covers an area approx. 3500 square meters. Of particular interest is its semi-circular amphitheater and underground galleries.
Pukapukara Archeological Complex
Located 4 miles (7 km) northeast from the city of Cusco (30 minutes by car or 2 hours on foot)This fortress is composed of large walls, terraces, stairways, interior squares, towers and roads, and was part of the defensive of Cusco. Pukapukara named in Quechua "Red Fortress" because the limestone with which it is built have acquired the reddish color of the ground.
Tambomachay Archeological complex
Located 4 miles (7.5 km) northwest from the city of Cusco (35 minutes by car)It was assigned to the worship of water and the head of the Inca empire could rest. This place is also known as Baños del Inca "The Bath of the Inca". It consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and several waterfalls that run through the rocks. It was estimated that was built around 1500 A.D., closely linked with Pukapukara.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Qhapaq Ñan, in Quechua, "The Way of the Lord", is the main Inca trail which emit a series of roads that connect the different peoples of the Inca Empire. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, is one of the most important South American trekking routes. Along the hike, you can see several gorges and streams that originate from glaciers. Among the twelve archaeological monuments that can be seen include Qoriwachayrachina, Patallaqta, Runkuraqay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Intipunku, Intipata and Wiñayhuayna.CANAS PROVINCE
Q'eswachaka Hanging Bridge
Located 68 miles (110 km) southeast from the city of Cusco (1 hour and 30 minutes by car)Q'eswachaka is a suspension bridge that was exclusively for pedestrian use Inca. This bridge is still preserved and rebuilt every year. The bridge is 33 m long and 1.2 m wide from which we can appreciate the Apurimac River canyon. It is woven for three days, every second Sunday of June, by about 1000 commoners using braided straw ichu and chachacomo. The bridge ends on the fourth day with a folk festival.
CANCHIS PROVINCE
Raqchi Archeological Complex
Located 73 miles (117 km) from the city of Cusco (2 hours by car)Located in the district of San Pedro de Cacha, was built in the fifteenth century and is regarded by historians as one of the boldest Inca constructions. The most prominent structure is the Temple of Wiracocha, a large rectangular structure 100 meters (328 feet) long and 20 meters (66 feet) wide, which is composed of mud walls supported on foundations of volcanic stone.
The huge dimensions of the temple, and its prominence on the site explain why the entire complex is also sometimes referred to Wiracocha Temple.
CALCA PROVINCE
Village of Pisac
Located 20 miles (32 km) northeast from the city of Cusco (1 hour by car)
Pisac is known for its traditional market, but there are also Inca archaeological ruins between those who can appreciate an irrigation system, an astronomical observatory, a sundial or Intiwatana and agricultural terraces.
City of Calca
Located 31 miles (50 km) north from the city of Cusco (1 hour and 15 minutes by car)The current city is built on a foundation of manufacturing Inca, one can observe various walls throughout the city. There you find the archaeological complex of Huchu'y Qosqo or Little Cusco, Machacancha medicinal hot springs and Minasmoqo. Its landscapes are enhanced by the snowy Pitusiray and Sawasiray.
CONVENCION PROVINCE
Choquequirao Archeological Complex
Located 58 miles (93 km) from the city of Cusco (Region of Apurímac)
Choquequirao (chuqui k'iraw, or "Cradle of Gold"), is known as the "sacred sister" of Machu Picchu by the structural and architectural resemblance to it. This complex could be one of the lost cities in the Vilcabamba valley, where the Incas took refuge from the Spanish since 1536. The complex has many buildings of two floors with interior niches. In addition to some doors and niches made of adobe jamb, irrigation channels and hundreds of agricultural terraces. The material was used for the build were quarry stone with mud mortar.
QUISPICANCHI PROVINCE
Pikillacta
Located 19 miles (30 km) south from the city of Cusco (45 minutes by car)Pre-Incan city whose cultural height is estimated between 800 A.D. and 1100 A.D. This city has long straight streets and large blocks of rectangular buildings. It is surrounded by walls and buildings spheroidal in the western area. The walls are high, made of boxes and mud mortar and its foundations are narrow in accordance tapering height.
Temple of Andahuaylillas
Located 22 miles (36 km) from the city of Cusco (1 hour by car)Known as the "Sistine Chapel of America", it was built in 1580 and features a simple façade contrasted by the Baroque interior, expressed in the golden altars, murals, paintings and polychromatic ceilings.
Tipon Archeological Complex
Located 16 miles (25 km) southeast from city of Cusco (45 minutes by car)This complex contains enclosures, ornamental waterfalls, huge agricultural terraces, canals and a irrigation ditch preserved. The top of the whole is crossed by the "Camino Inca" (Inca Trail)alongside an irrigation canal. According to legend, Tipon is one of the royal gardens ordered Wiracocha building. In this place the flora offers breathtaking scenery.
URUBAMBA PROVINCE
Archeological Complex Moray
Located 6 miles (9 km) northwest from city of Maras (25 minutes by car)It is composed of four slightly elliptical agricultural terraces, that the people call "muyus". The largest structure is 148 feet (45 meters) deep and the average height of each terrace is 3 feet (1.80 meters). Possibly it was a center of Inca agricultural research where experiments were conducted at different heights crop, because the arrangement of their platforms produce a gradient of microclimates.
Ollantaytambo Archeological Complex
Located 60 miles (97 km) northwest from the city of Cusco (2 hours and 30 minutes by car)
Ollantaytambo is one of the most monumental architectural complex of the ancient Inca Empire, commonly called "Fortress" because of its huge walls, was really a Tambo or city-accommodation, strategically located to dominate the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Ollantaytambo is the only city of the Incas in Peru than is still inhabited. The town of Ollantaytambo is called a "LivingIncaTown", since the inhabitants maintain ancient customs and traditions.
Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary
Located 68 miles (110 km) northwest from the city of Cusco (4 hours by train), to the village of Machu Picchu, and then another 5 miles (8 km) to the citadel (20 minutes by bus)
Machu Picchu southern Quechua means,"Old Mountain", also called "the Lost City of the Incas", is an impressive Inca citadel located on a mountain. Discovered for the West by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Machu Picchu was built with blocks of stone extracted from the surrounding areas. The urban sector consists of several buildings and squares, the most important being the Temple of the Sun, the Intihuatana or solar clock, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Main Temple and the Condor Sector.
Machu Picchu is considered a masterpiece of architecture and engineering. Its unique architectural features and landscaping, and the veil of mystery that has woven around him much of literature published on the site, they have become one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet.
Machu Picchu in 1983, UNESCO placed it on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Lists. On July 7, 2007 "Machu Picchu" was declared as one of the new Wonders of the World.
Photo by Magnus von Koeller
