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Cusco Incan walls, colorful costumes, sacred valleys, churches constructed atop palaces, citadels lost in the heights of the Andes, legendary trails... all the beauty of a glorious past captures the visitor who arrives in Cusco; the sacred city of the Incas and the archaeological capital of America. Ever since Hiram Bingham’s encounter with the citadel of Machu Picchu, Cusco has made an impression on thousands of travelers around the world who each year venture to visit one of the world’s most extraordinary monuments. |
Additionally, the city of Cusco offers many other attractions; the main square with its rich architecture, the noise and colour of the artisans’ quarter of San Blas, the Convent of Santo Domingo, built on top of the Temple of the Sun or Korikancha, and the Inca palaces, which are part of a long list of archaeological wonders. A rich archaeological legacy can be found on practically every street corner, the native traditions meshing with the colonial legacy to create Cusco's vibrant cultural heritage and a bustling nightlife, makes Cusco one of the most spectacular destinations in the Americas. | |
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Sacsayhuaman Located 2 km (just over 1 mile) away from Cusco, Sacsayhuaman is an imposing example of Incan military architecture. The fortress was built from enormous granite blocks to protect the city from tribes coming from the eastern jungle. Sacsayhuaman ("satisfied hawk" in Quechua) is divided into three vast zigzagging terraces and flanked by massive stone walls, some measuring up to 300 meters (984 feet) long. As it lies close to Cusco, and due to the dimension of its stones - some of which stand 5 meters (16 feet) high and weigh over 300 tons- the site was used as a quarry to provide stone for colonial buildings in Cusco. |
Machu Picchu The ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is the star attraction of Cusco. The citadel offers one of the world's finest examples of architectural landscape. Machu Picchu (“Old Mountain” in Quechua) is nestled on top of a mountain saddle high above the Urubamba River in the middle of the cloud forest. It was a center of worship and an astronomic observatory as well as the private retreat of the royal family. It is split up into two major areas: the agricultural zone, made up of terracing and food stores; and the urban zone, featuring the sacred sector, with temples, squares and royal tombs which have been carved to an extraordinary degree of perfection. Also throughout this unique archaeological site we find stone staircases and canals. Over the citadel looms Huayna Picchu ("young mountain" in Quechua), which can be climbed up a steep stone-paved trail. | |
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