Cuzco

Places of Interest - Peru

introduction

The sacred valley which includes the imperial city of Cuzco is the magical and still beating heart of the mighty Incas. The region includes an atmosphere of authentic Indian remains and Spanish colonial pride. The most famous is of course the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, but the old Inca capital of Cuzco also has many sights worthwhile.

Cuzco is at an altitude of approximately 3360 meters in the Andes and serves as the main transport hub and springboard to Machu Picchu. It is the city's longest inhabited city on the South American continent and is also sometimes called Peru's archaeological capital. The name of the city is derived from the Quechua word meaning bellybutton (of the earth).

Besides old Inca city walls, narrow alleys, squares and the mighty Plaza des Armas, you can easily visit the sacred valley with its countless Inca ruins and beautiful nature and Farmland.

highlights

Cuzco:

Plaza de Armas is the centre of the town with countless hotels, travel agencies, restaurants and information centers. It contains a beautiful cathedral, a church and the Museo de Historia Natural but also beautiful colonial arcades. To the southeast, the busy street El Sol is the main road of the city, which leads to the main train and bus station.

Where the city is surrounded by mountains on the north and east sides, it is flat in the west and south. The biggest and most important attraction of the old Inca city is undoubtedly the Inca ruins of Qorikancha which form the foundations of the newly built but beautiful The Santa Domingo church and monastery. Other recommendations are the atmospheric and authentic San Blas neighborhood, and a visit to one of the many interesting museums that is rich in the city (Arte Precolombino, Inka or Historico Regional).

You can also stroll through the authentic alleys, squares and streets of the north or east of the city to walk through and enjoy the unique views of the city and old Inca city walls.

Holy Valley:

The Inca's sacred valley (Spanish: Valle Sagrado de los Incas) is largely northwest of Cuzco. Globally, the entire area between the village of Písac and the ruins of Ollantaytambo parallel to the Urubam River (holy river) is counted as the sacred valley.

The valley is fed by many rivers, descending through adjacent valleys and gorges and contains numerous archaeological remains and villages. The valley was highly appreciated by the Incas because of its specific geographic and climatological benefits. It was one of the most important centers for agriculture and is still the best place for the cultivation of corn (mais) in Peru.

You can visit the Inca citadel cities such as Pisac and/or Ollantaytambo but also one of the many small Andes villages or markets. About 6 km from Urubamba lies the village of Tarambamba. Here you can cross the river with a suspension bridge and follow a goat path where you first find a cemetery and then Salinas salt terraces. Thousands of these are used since Inca times. A small geyser can be seen on the top of the hill.

history

Before the city was conquered by the Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century, it was called the capital of the Inca Empire, Tawantinsuyu (The Four Quarters Land). Legend goes that in the 12th century the first Inca, Manco Capac, was assigned to find the cradle of the earth where a gold stick would disappear. There, the Inca capital and culture center would be built. The Incas gave the city the shape of the puma (mountain lion) and they built many temples like those for the sun god Inti and the moon god Quilla.

Besides the capital, Cuzco for the Incas was also a holy city. They thought that this was the place where the son of the sun (Manco Capac) and the daughter of the moon (Mama Ocllo) after a long search from the Titicaca Lake (where they were born) decided that it was fertile enough to stay there and whereafter the Empire of the Inca was born. From the cities in the surrounding areas became of that reason many pilgrims to pay their respect. Consequently, the city had a well-developed system of personal registration, which made it possible to keep enough food for residents and visitors.

Tahuantisuyu was a strong empire, but was divided because of arguments and fights by the beginning of the 16th century. The reason for this was that the empire has grown strongly since 1471 under the leadership of Túpac Inca Yupanqui. At the end of his reign, Tahuantisuyu governed an area between Quito in Ecuador and Santiago in Chile. His successor Huayna Capac then moved the administrative center to Quito, making Cuzco politically less important. Shortly before his death, Huayna Cápac divided the empire between his sons Atahualpa and Huáscar.

The northern part went to Atahualpa, while Huáscar got the Southern part. Huáscar again made Cuzco the capital of its part of the area. What followed were years of rivalry between the north and the south. In 1532 Huáscar was captured by the Northern troops. Atahualpa became then leader of the whole Inca empire.

However, the leadership of Atahualpa did not take long, because in 1532 the (Spanish) conquistador Francisco Pizarro caught him. On November 15, 1533, Pizarro then reached the city of Cuzco. The city was conquered and plundered and the area was colonized.

Many of the buildings built by the Incas were broken down by the Spaniards so that they could put their Catholic churches in those places. In many cases the churches and monasteries rise above the walls of the Inca temples. However, the new construction style did not prove to be well-resistant to the earthquakes that regularly hit the area. Often the Inca walls were proven stronger than the Spanish constructions.

In 1535, Manco Capac II, a half brother of Huáscar, tried to conquer the city on the Spaniards. With 100,000 men, he marched against the Spaniards, who almost lost the city. Only by a bold outburst and bloody battle at Sacsayhuamán they could keep the city. However, because of the battle, Cuzco became heavily damaged. In that same year, Pizarro established the management center in the new city of Lima. Cuzco lost its main function, and it became a colonial city without importance.

An earthquake completed the total downfall of the city in 1650: the city was destroyed again. In 1911, the Inca city of Machu Picchu was discovered not far from Cuzco. Cuzco thus became a major tourist center in Peru. By 1950 a large part of the city was destroyed again by an earthquake. In 1983, the historic center of Cuzco was listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

tips & advice (2000)

Cuzco International Airport Alejandro Velasco Astete is located a few kilometers south of the city center. Numerous "collectivos" (minibuses) travel back and forth between the city center and the airport. The Cuzco Train Station is called "Huanchez" and is located in the southeast of the city, at the end of the long Ave El Sol.

The long-distance bus station Terrestre is about 500 meters further than Huanchez. Regional buses leave here and there out of town.

Cuzco - Urumbamba - Salinas: You can take a shared taxi or minibus to Urumbamba, which is about 2 hours bussing from Cuzco. Buses depart from Ave Tullumayo (south of Ave Garcilaso) south of the city center. Small buses drive irregularly to Tarabamba from where you can walk to Salinas salt terraces.

Cuzco - Puno: From train station Huanchez departing 3x a week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday) a train to Puno. The train leaves for 10 hours and leaves at 08:00.

Cuzco-Plaza-Armas-Square-Cathedral-Center-Peru