And the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Cusco is located in the southeastern Andes. Its Quechua name means "center of the world" for being the capital of the Empire or Tawantinsuyu (four regions). Legend has it that the city was founded by Manco Capac and Mama Occlo, from Lake Titicaca.
The monumental Inca Cusco XV century and is attributed to the Inca Pachacutec (1438-1471) to build their most impressive buildings, most notably the fine carved in stone, the perfect ensamle between them and trapezoidal doors. They can appreciate the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, in the upper part of the city, the Koricancha (temple of the sun), on which was built the Convent of Santo Domingo, and Hatunrumiyoc Street (2 blocks from the main square), the wall that includes the famous stone of 12 angles.
Since the arrival of the Spanish, Cusco became a mestizo and colonial city, with splendid buildings on the foundations of Inca architecture, which developed metizo own style in architecture and painting, which can be admired in the Cathedral and the church of the Society of Jesus.
Known as the Archaeological Capital of America, the city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983, and is one of the main tourist centers ctivity in South America.
Height: Cusco: 3360 meters above sea level, the Sacred Valley 2900 meters above sea level.
How to get there: By air: daily flights from Lima (55 minutes). Arequipa (35 minutes). Puerto Maldonado (30 minutes). La Paz, Bolivia (1 hour) train ride from Puno (384 km, 10 hours) by bus from Lima (1131 km, 19 hours, by Nasca and Abancay) Puno (389 km, 6 hours) . Arequipa (528 km, 10 hours, Juliaca).
