Introduction to Cusco

Cuzco is perhaps the most fascinating city in the western hemisphere. As the capital of the Inca Empire - the largest empire in the Americas prior to that of the Spanish - Cuzco was hugely important as a political, religious and spiritual center, to the extent that the Inca’s referred to it as the “Home of Gods”. The actual name Cuzco –derived from the Quechua word Qosqo – literally meant "navel of the world" due to the fact that Cuzco served as a hub for a vast network of roads linking an empire that spanned across a large chunk of South America.

Cuzco entered the Spanish colonial domain in 1534 when it finally succumbed to the forces of Francisco Pizarro, who subsequently initiated the construction of a Spanish city on top of what remained after a bloody and destructive conquest. This vivid and vibrant history is what makes the city so intriguing today – the architecture is a combination of two radically different cultural styles: the masterful stonework of Inca masons was built upon by the elegant colonial styling of the Spanish conquerors.

Cusco Statistics

Population: 348,935 (2007)
Area: 70,015.3 km2 (27,033 sq mi)
Elevation: 3,310 m (10,860 ft)