Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CUZCO
084 / POP 350,000 / ELEV 3326M
The cosmopolitan capital of Cuzco (also Cusco, or Qosq'o in Quechua) today thrives with
a measure of contradiction. Ornate cathedrals squat over Inca temples, massage hawkers
ply the narrow cobblestone streets, a woman in traditional skirt and bowler hat might offer
bottled water to a pet llama while the finest boutiques hawk alpaca knits for small fortunes.
The foremost city of the Inca empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of South
America, as well as the continent's oldest continuously inhabited city. Few travelers to Peru
will skip visiting this premier South American destination, which also serves as gateway to
Machu Picchu.
As with any bustling global destination, Cuzco is not all ancient culture. (Note the
Western fast-food chains on the Plaza de Armas.) In recent years the city has gentrified and
as rents soar in the colonial core,
cuzqueños
are increasingly pushed to the margins - which
may mean getting out of the city center if you want to experience local life.
History
For almost 200 years beginning in the 12th century, the Incas were a relatively small ethni-
city confined to the Cuzco Valley. This changed in the 14th century, under the ninth
inca
(king) Pachacutec, a fervent expansionist who extended the limits of Inca territory to in-
clude much of the central Andes as well as the area around Lake Titicaca. Cuzco was the
capital of his sprawling empire and the city owes much of its physical glory to him:
Pachacutec was the one who allegedly gave the city its layout in the shape of a puma and
built some of the area's most magnificent stone monuments, such as Sacsaywamán and
quite possibly Machu Picchu.
Inca expansion came to an abrupt end with the arrival of the Spanish. Francisco Pizarro
entered the city on November 8, 1533, after dispatching emperor Atahualpa in the northern
highland city of Cajamarca. By that point, the Spanish had already gotten to work demol-
ishing indigenous monuments and stripping Cuzco's temples of their silver and gold. All of
this was followed, in 1536, by a fierce indigenous rebellion led by Manco Inca, Atahu-
alpa's half-brother, who had originally served as the Spaniard's puppet leader. Manco
would lay siege to the city for almost a year, but was ultimately unsuccessful in wresting
control from the Spanish.
After the Spanish moved the nation's capital to Lima, Cuzco's importance as an urban
center declined. Even so, it remained an important cultural center - and the heart of indi-
genous life in Peru. During the 16th century, the city produced one of the continent's most
