!!!Cusco

by Dmitry Moiseenko and Stas Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

7 April 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The AirPano team has already captured the sights of Peru, namely the
ancient Inca city Machu Picchu. One more site, strongly connected to the
history of the great and mysterious Inca Empire, is the city of Cusco,
which is not of the less interest, but usually is regarded only as a
stop on the way to the famous destination.

Still, there is something to appreciate this city for. While Machu
Picchu was founded in around 1440, the first people inhabited the area
of Cusco around 3,000 years ago. And the history of the city itself
began in around the year 1200: the very first governor of the Inca
civilization — Manco Capac — decided to found the capital here.

[{Image src='01_Cusco, Peru.jpg' caption='Cusco, Peru' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='538'}]

The name of the Inca Empire in the Quechuan language — Tawantinsuyu —
literally means "Four directions, allied together", and "Cusco" is
translated as "Centre of the World". Previously, the city had four
districts: a north-western, a north-eastern, a south-western and a
south-eastern, and each one had a road, leading to the corresponding
part of the Empire.

At the period of prosperity Cusco was the perfect example for the
tremendous Inca architecture. But it was not only about the status of
capital; the city owes its development to one unusual tradition, that
appeared during the reign of Pachacuti. When a ruler passed away, his
title went to one of his sons, and all his possessions went to some
other relatives. In this way every new Inca ruler had to build a new
residence and gain new lands in favour of the Empire.

[{Image src='02_Cusco, Peru.jpg' caption='Cusco, Peru' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='538'}]

The first Spaniards came to the city on November 15, 1533 and, in this
way, took control over the bigger part of the Empire. Four decades later
the Empire utterly ceased to exist, and many historical and cultural
monuments of the Incas were rebuilt. But nature took revenge on the
conquerors in its own way: buildings and constructions of Spaniards were
constantly ruined by earthquakes, while the enduring great constructions
of the Incas easily survived.

In 1950, soon after another natural disaster, the issue about the
restoration of affected colonial era buildings was brought up, but some
part of Cusco citizens wanted to save the Inca heritage. So now the
remnants of both cultures determine the look of the streets equally.

The square, which previously hosted the ceremonies dedicated to the
Incan Sun God now is named Plaza de Armas and became considerably
smaller. It is surrounded by the colonial era buildings, and many of
them were created on the sites of former Inca palaces; now it is the
place for numerous touristic offices, shops, restaurants and other
features of the modern world. Some of the most famous monuments of this
square are the Convent of Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) built on the site
of the former temple of the Sun God and the Cathedral created on the
foundations of the Palace of Viracocha Inca.

[{Image src='03_Plaza de Armas.jpg' caption='Plaza de Armas' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='615'}]

In addition, Cusco has two more interesting modern sights. These are the
geoglyphs on the mountain slopes, which appeared as a result of the
activity of the Peruvian army in the middle of the 20th century, and the
statue of Christ, which was given to the city approximately at the same
time. The monument is slightly smaller than its famous analogue located
in Rio-de-Janeiro, Brazil.

One more interesting feature of this region is the Pisac fortress
located 33 kilometres away from Cusco. By climbing the high steps, you
can reach the ruins of an ancient temple, which possesses the sacred
stone Intiwatana — an important worship element, dedicated to the Sun.

[{Image src='04_Pisac. Qalla Q_asa, the citadel.jpg' caption='Pisac. Qalla Q_asa, the citadel' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='538'}]

And 60 kilometres away from Cusco, on the way to Machu Picchu, another
archaeological site is lying at the altitude of 2,792 meters — the
Ollantaytambo, which once belonged to the great Inca ruler Pachacuti.
The site includes not only temples, squares and palaces, but also a
pool, terraces, storehouses and quarries. Actually, Ollantaytambo is one
of the most well-preserved Inca settlements.

[{Image src='05_Ollantaytambo.jpg' caption='Ollantaytambo' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='538'}]

In 1983 Cusco together with all its heritage was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site for being an outstanding example of architecture and an
exceptional evidence of culture and civilization, illustrating an
important part of the history of humankind. You are invited to visit
these amazing places!

\\ \\
[5 Panoramas of Cusco|Geography/America/Peru/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Cusco]










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