Cusco

Cusco is a great deal more than a jumping-off point for the Sacred Valley. Its strategic importance was recognised by the Incas who developed the city into their capital and endowed it with masterpieces of architecture, as did the Spanish in their turn. It’s a modern city with plenty of interesting shops, restaurants, bars and places to stay. Several Inca sites are within easy reach and museums offer insights into the city’s and region’s rich past.

• Cusco’s Inca heritage:  Cusco has been inhabited for 3,000 years and was the Inca capital between the 13^th and 16^th centuries. The present city owes its layout to King Pachacuti who redesigned it in the shape of a puma, sacred in Inca culture. The hillside fortress ruins of Sacsayhuaman mark the head, Koricancha, the temple of the sun, is at its centre and the convergence of the Huatanay and Tullumayo rivers is the tail. You can use this guide to navigate Cusco’s main Inca sites. Several museums including that at Koricancha provide insights into pre-colonial Cusco.
• Colonial city of Cusco:  The Spanish arrived in 1533. They destroyed many of the buildings and built churches and grand mansions on their ruins but left the layout largely intact. Plaza de Armas, the heart of the puma, became the main square with elegant arcades, the imposing cathedral and several churches including La Compania withs its oversize gold-leaf altar. Some of the many colonial townhouses are now hotels and others house museums.
• Recreation & retail:  When not sightseeing you can enjoy time out as you linger over a coffee or snack watching the comings and goings and soaking up the atmosphere of the city. Bohemian San Blas has many galleries and shops where you can browse for gifts, while San Pedro food market near the train station is a much livelier affair, a good place to mingle with locals and view the huge selection of produce on display.