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CUSCO (also spelt Cuzco with a "z"), mythical
capital of the Inca Empire, preserves its stone walls and
battlements with pride, evoking the greatness of the "Children
of the Sun". It's a city packed full of historical monuments and
relics, of myths and legends, which seem to come to life every
time you walk through its century old streets.
At 3,360 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) in the
Huatanay valley of the southeastern Andes of Peru.
Cusco is an unforgettable place, as it allows you
to uncover some of the mysteries of the Inkas, because Cusco was
known as the center, the "navel" of the Andean world.
The history of the Imperial City of Cusco:
The legend begins in the 11th or 12th century
when the first Inca, Manco Capac, obeying the dictates of the
Sun God, founded Cusco.
On March 23, 1534, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador
of Peru, refounded the Inca city as a Spanish colonial
settlement.
Today, Cusco, the archeological capital of Peru
and America, is a city open to the world, warmly welcoming its
many visitors. Visitors marvel at the city's unusual physical
appearance, which uniquely and harmoniously integrate, in the
same urban environment, pre-Colombian monuments such as the
Korikancha, ("Temple of the Sun"), the Ajlla Wasi, the Amaru
Cancha ("Fence of the Serpent"), and the Kiswar Kancha, amongst
others, with "mestizo" (mixed Spanish and native) architectural
gems such as Cusco’s Cathedral, the Church and Convent of La
Merced and the Temple of San Blas.
The city of Cusco is surrounded by impressive
archeological remains such as the citadel of Machu Picchu, the
fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the Ollantaytambo compound and
picturesque towns such as Pisaq, Calca and Yucay, which still
preserve the traditions of their ancestors.
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