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CUZCO TRAVEL GUIDE
Location:
Andean Area in the south of Peru, 11,151 feet (3,399 m.) above sea level.
Distances:
From Lima 724 miles (1,165 Km) (by Nazca)
From Arequipa 388 miles (625 Km)
From Puno: 241 miles (389 Km)
From Puerto Maldonado (Tambopata): 331.25 miles (530 Km)
Population:
291,000 inhabitants |
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About Cuzco
The origins of Cuzco get lost in the night of times.
Archaeological excavations made us know that primitive residents inhabited the
valley of Cuzco (except for its bottom, then marshy) near three millenniums ago.
Toward the XII century, Manco Cápac and his sister-wife
Mama Ocllo emerged from the waters of the Titicaca Lake, semi Gods daughter and
son of Inti (the god Sun), with the mission of the foundation of a new Kingdom
that would improve the conditions of life of the towns. Manco Cápac and Mama
Ocllo would have to walk until finding a place in the earth where the great gold
scepter that Manco Cápac had would submerge, they walked to the north and they
arrived to Pacárec Tampu (Pacaritambo) where rested in a small cave; to the dawn
they continued to the north arriving to the hill Huanacaure and there the
scepter submerged, and there he founded the city of Cuzco (Quechua Language: the
navel of the world).
Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo left in people's search, and
formed the Hanan Cuzco. They taught them how to work the earth and how to sow;
they made and used agricultural tools, artificial irrigation systems, to build
and to live in towns.
Inhabitants of other districts arrived when got informed
of the events, creating this way the Tahuantisuyo, the great empire of the
Incas, which limits, after 14 successors of real lineage, reached Colombia by
the north, and northern Chile and Argentina by the south; as capital Cuzco
reached its maximum splendor.
It is known little more than names and legends from the
first Incas kings, from Pachacútec (1448-1471) more information has gotten, the
great conqueror who transformed Cuzco, reconstructing it. The Spaniards arrived
and occupied the city in 1533, when Huáscar (Pachacútec's grandson) was the Inca
king.
In this time Cuzco was a city of admirable architecture
made in stone with wide plazas, big temples and palaces decorated with abundant
gold pieces. Many of these colossal constructions have been built for the
eternity.
The Spanish Cuzco has like base the foundations of the
Inca walls and the lines of its streets, numerous buildings and churches were
built, and a flourishing art school was founded (XVII century - XVIII),
represented by numerous painters and authors (paintings of the "Escuela
Cusqueña", pulpit of San Blas, Custody of the Cathedral and the Iglesia de la
Merced, etc.)
The cultural coalition Andean-Hispanic, has determined
very special characteristics in its architecture and population, city of
incomparable beauty in the world, which conserves with pride their customs and
traditions, at the same time progressively is incorporated to the modernity. To
this is added the privileged geographical scenery, of beautiful landscapes, in
which has been developed.
Cuzco is the most visited tourist destination in Peru, and
the wealthy attractiveness in the city and its areas around, as well as "Ciudad
Perdida de los Incas" (Lost City of the Incas), Machu Picchu, transforms it
into one of the main tourist attractiveness of the world, offering an excellent
quality of tourist services.
Visiting Cuzco
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As the heart of the once mighty
Inca Empire - The magnetic city of Cuzco
Also called Cusco or Qosqo ("The navel of the world" in the Quechua Language)
Cuzco City: The cultural
coalition Andean-Hispanic, has determined very special characteristics in its
architecture and population, city of incomparable beauty in the world, which
conserves with pride their customs and traditions, at the same time
progressively is incorporated to the modernity. To this is added the privileged
geographical scenery, of beautiful landscapes, in which has been developed. The
Spanish Cuzco has like base the foundations of the Inca walls and the lines of
its streets, numerous buildings and churches were built, and a flourishing art
school was founded (XVII century - XVIII), represented by numerous painters and
authors (paintings of the "Escuela Cusqueña", pulpit of San Blas, Monstrance of
the Cathedral and the Iglesia de la Merced, etc.)
Machu Picchu: Located
112 Km. (70 miles) from Cuzco. Is a mystical place, a monument to divinity,
where people can feel that they are a creation of God. The high sense of
spirituality that inhabits this place seems to transport its visitors to a place
where everything "in an unimaginable way" is possible. It is a place where
strange forces of nature allow the individuals to reach an incomparable cosmic
state, a state that can only be experimented in Machu Picchu. It is one of the
most popular archaeological sites of the world, and therefore, the most visited
attraction in Peru.
Historical Centre of Cuzco:
The city of Cuzco, the ancient capital of the empire of the Incas, is a
Cultural World Heritage Site, and is without a doubt one of the most important
destinations in Peru. There are Incan buildings waiting for you to discover them
among its cobble-stoned streets, ones like the Koricancha and the palace of Inca
Roca as well as Andean Baroque structures from the Colonial period like the
Cathedral and the Jesuit Church of the Company of Jesus. In addition, you can
visit the picturesque neighborhood of San Blas where the best artisans and
artist in the department have set up their workshops.
Archaeological Places in
Cuzco: Extraordinary Inca and Pre-Inca archaeological monuments as
Sacsayhuaman with menhirs standing up to 29.5 feet and weighing 350 tons. A
little farther along, there are other sacred sites where people went to worship
their deities, like Kencco, or the very popular Baños del Inca (Inca baths) or
Tambomachay, a fascinating site dedicated to worship water, and the fortress of
Puca Pucará. Archaeological evidences that send us back to the origin and past
splendor of the expired Incas. Also near to Cuzco archaeological places as
Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Raqchi, Tipon, Choquequirao and more.
Around Cuzco: We cannot
limit the wonders of Cuzco to just Machu Picchu. To begin with, there is a
fantastic city, rich cultural expressions, and many other striking archeological
complexes scattered across a truly amazing geography. Eye pleasing agricultural
terraces descend down the mountains, like giant stair steps. The air is filled
with the scent of baking bread, prepared in mud ovens, and endless fields of
corn dance with the wind. You can visit amazing scenarios near to Cuzco city,
archaeological places, gorgeous landscapes and beautiful towns as Chinchero,
Maras, Moray, Tipon, Andahuaylillas, Raqchi. Also many towns located in Sacred
Valley to enjoy their traditions and folklore.
Valle Sagrado de los Incas
(Sacred Valley of the Incas): 15 Km. north of Cuzco. Called this way to the
end of the extensive valley of Urubamba, where the agricultural cattlemen and
beautiful towns were concentrated since Inca times. The valley is characterized
to have very special conditions, as an excellent climate, very fertile lands and
the waters of the sacred river of the Inca, Valle Sagrado is embraced between
the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, it has wonderful landscapes where its
inhabitants, native of the Quechua ethnic, conserve many customs and ancestral
rites.
Feast and Festivals in
Cuzco: Cuzco celebrates some hundreds festivals a year. Most of them are
held in homage to a patron saint and are part of the Christian calendar adopted
in colonial times, although they have blended with the magical beliefs of
ancient forms of worship. The celebrations of the Inti Raymi, Holy Week,
Carnivals, Corpus Christi, and the feast of "Señor de los Temblores" (Lord of
the Earthquakes), have special significance for cusquenians, becoming a great
folkloric expression of their people.
Cuzco Outdoors:
Excursions, trekking, hiking, rafting, mountain biking, mountaineering,
horseback riding, paragliding and hang gliding, river or lake fishing, they are
only some of the adventure and sports activities that can be practiced in one of
the best scenarios in the world. In the Mountain Ranges of Vilcabamba, Vilcanota
and Urubamba you will be able to find numerous snowy peaks that constitute a
beautiful natural scenario, offering you possibilities to share its beautiful
landscape with ideal places for the practice of mountain sports and
mountain-climbing. The Inca Trail is Peru's most famous trekking route and
possibly one of the most spectacular in the Americas, also the the circuits for
trekking in Ausangate, Salcantay and Choquequirao.
Inca Trail: Part of the
23,000 kilometers (approximately 14,000 miles) of roads built by the Incas in
South America, this is Peru's most famous trekking route and possibly one of the
most spectacular in the Americas. Every year; some 25,000 hikers from around the
world walk along the extraordinary 43 kilometers of this stone-paved road built
by the Incas leading to the unassailable citadel of Machu Picchu located in the
depth of the Cuzco jungle.
Cuzco Nature and
Biodiversity: Peru and Cuzco undoubtedly, one of the world's top
destinations for nature-lovers. Blessed with the richest ocean in the world,
largely unexplored Amazon forests and the highest tropical mountain range on the
planet, the possibilities for the development of biodiversity in its territory
are virtually unlimited. With a little over 10% of all species of plants and
animals on earth and a surprisingly diverse range of climates and ecosystems,
Peru has become a modern Noah's Ark for nature-lovers, who along with students
from all over the world, visit Peru to chalk up more experience, gain new
knowledge and to get to know unique varieties. The Historic Sanctuary of Machu
Picchu and Manu National Park are protected natural areas and both are Natural
World Heritage Sites. For bird-watchers is a paradise.
Cuzco is the most visited
tourist destination in Peru, and the wealthy attractiveness in the city and its
areas around, as well as "Ciudad Perdida de los Incas" (Lost City of the Incas),
Machu Picchu, the new 7 wonders of the World, transforms it into one of the main
tourist attractiveness of the world, offering an excellent quality of tourist
services.
We recommend you visit combined
Arequipa, Lake Titicaca and Puno and or Tambopata with Cuzco
Map of Cuzco City
Source and photos ©
COMELTUR |
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