CUZCO

Cuzco was the religious and administrative capital of the Inca Empire which
flourished in ancient Peru between c. 1400 and 1534 CE. The Incas controlled
territory from Quito to Santiago, making theirs the largest empire ever seen in
the Americas and the largest in the world at that time. Cuzco, which had a
population of up to 150,000 at its peak, was laid out in the form of a puma and
was dominated by fine buildings and palaces, the richest of all being the
sacred gold-covered and emerald-studded Coricancha complex which included
a temple to the Inca sun god Inti.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

The city of Cusco extends throughout the Watanay river valley. Located on the
eastern end of the Knot of Cuzco, its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft).
North is the Willkapampa mountain range with 4,000 m 6,000 m high
mountains. The highest peak is Sallqantay (6,271 m) about 60 km (37.28 mi)
northwest of Cusco.

Cusco has a subtropical highland climate. It has an ideal temperature for

daytime comfort all year round. Its climate is generally dry and temperate, with
two defined seasons. The dry season lasts from May to August, with abundant
sunshine, and occasional nighttime freezes; July is the coolest month with an
average of 9.7 C (49.5 F). The wet season lasts from December to March,
with night frost less common; November averages 13.3 C (55.9 F). Although
frost and hail are common, the only snowfall ever recorded was in June 1911.
Temperatures usually range from 0.2 C (32.4 F) to 20.9 C (69.6 F), but the
all-time temperature range is between 8.9 C (16.0 F) and 30 C (86.0 F).
Sunshine hours peak in July; the equivalent of January in the northern
hemisphere. In contrast, February, the equivalent of August in the northern
hemisphere, has the least amount of sunshine. Cusco was found in 2006 to be
the spot on Earth with the highest average ultraviolet light level.

POPULATION
Until the late 18th century Cusco was the most populous city in the continent,
even more than Lima. The city has a population of about 434,114 people in
2013 and 434,654 people in 2015 according to INEI.

FOODS
As capital to the Inca Empire, Cusco was an important agricultural region. It
was a natural reserve for thousands of native Peruvian species, including
around 3,000 varieties of potato cultivated by the people. Recently many fusion
and neo-Andean restaurants have developed in Cusco, in which the cuisine is
prepared with modern techniques and incorporates a blend of traditional
Andean and international ingredients.
INDUSTRY
Cusquea brewery

MUSEUMS
Cusco has the following important museums:

Museo de Arte Precolombino (Peru)

Casa Concha Museum (Machu Picchu Museum)
Museo Inka
Museo Histrico Regional de Cuzco
Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cuzco
Museum of Sacred, Magical and Medicinal Plants (Museo de plantas
sagradas, mgicas y medicinales)
ChocoMuseo (The Cacao and Chocolate Museum)

There are also some museums located at churches.

CUZCO SURROUNDINGS

SACSAYHUAMN

An immense theatre entirely built of stones weighing 100 tons and perfectly
assembled. This was the fortress of Sacsayhuamn, where the Incas performed
sacred rites and held festivals. This fortress also served for refuge in cases of
emergency thanks to the imposing walls which protected it. At the present, the
most traditional Cusco festival, called IntiRaymi, takes place here.

QENQO
Located 3 km from the city of Cusco, it seems to have been a ceremonial
centre. Qenqo means labyrinth or zigzag. It possesses an amphitheatre with 19
niches, and there is an entrance in the form of a labyrinth which leads to
underground galleries. There are statues in the upper part, where rituals are
thought to have taken place.

PUCA PUCARA

Located 6 km from city of Cusco, the name means fortress or red watchtower. It
is located at an elevation which makes it possible to see the road to Antisuyo. It
is thought to have functioned as a lookout position, as well as being an
administrative and military centre.

TAMBOMACHAY

This was an important religious centre for the adoration of water. This ruin,
located 7 km from the city of Cusco, is made up of walls, and channels for
water, ending at a slope from which crystal clear water flows. You find it at a
height of 3,700 meters and it is known as the baths of the Incas.

TIPN
This beautiful ruin of agriculture terraces and channels carved in stone is
located around 20 km south of the city. It seems that Tipon was part of the
country property of the Inca Yawar Waka and, at the same time, a place for
religious worship and agricultural experiment. Of special interest here is the
harmony achieved in channelling the water through fine stone structures,
including aqueducts, some of them underground, and with waterfalls conduits.

QORIKANCHA

Qorikancha was once the richest temple in the Inca empire; all that remains
today is the masterful stonework. In Inca times, Qorikancha (Quechua for
Golden Courtyard) was literally covered with gold. The temple walls were lined
with some 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing about 2kg.
The temple was built in the mid-15th century during the reign of the 10th Inca,
Tpac Yupanqui. After the conquest, Francisco Pizarro gave it to his brother
Juan, but he was not able to enjoy it for long.

MACHU PICCHU HISTORICAL SANCTUARY

Machu Picchu is the site of an ancient Inca city, high in the Andes of Peru.
Located at 2,430m (8,000 ft), this UNESCO World Heritage site is often referred
to as "The Lost City of the Incas". It's one of the most familiar symbols of the
Incan Empire and also one of the most famous and spectacular sets of ruins in
the world. A visit to Peru would not be complete without seeing it.

The Historic Sanctuary is located in Machu Picchu district, Urubamba province,

Cusco department. It stretches over an area of 32,592 hectares (80,537 acres),
with impressive Inca archaeological complexes, sites and monuments with a
high historical and cultural value.

The story of Machu Picchu is quite a remarkable one; it is still unknown exactly
what the site was in terms of its place in Inca life. Current researchers tend to
believe that Machu Picchu was a country resort for elite Incas. At any given
time, there were no more than 750 people living at Machu Picchu, with far
fewer than that during the rainy season. The Incas started building it around
1430AD, but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred
years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

One thing that is clear is that it was a remarkably well hidden place, and well
protected. Located far up in the mountains of Peru, visitors had to travel up
long valleys littered with Inca check points and watch towers. Remarkably, the
Spanish conquistadors missed the site. However, many people are said to have
knowledge of the ancient city as it was referred to in some text found in the
20th century; even so, it was not until Bingham that Machu Picchu was
scientifically discovered (he was on a trip sponsored by the Yale University,
actually looking for Vilcabamba, the last Inca hideout).

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls.
Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room
of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as
the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September 2007, Peru and Yale
University reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Hiram
Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the early twentieth century.