Cusco

Cusco is the name of one of the 24 regions into which Peru is divided politically, and Cusco is the capital of that region. Over time, the city of Cusco has become a truly cosmopolitan place where just about every know language can be heard in the hundreds of bars, cafes, restaurants and discotheques that flourish among its narrow streets and splendid squares. For proof, take a walk around Aucaypata, the mestizo Main Square surrounded by protective hills, which contains two splendid colonial-era religious monuments built upon the remains of what were palaces belonging to the Inca nobility: The Cathedral and the Church of the Company of Jesus. Half way down the street is the little Regocijo Square with colonial archways under which craftsmen from the highlands exhibit their textiles, ceramics and metalwork.

The neighborhood of San Blas, the oldest part of the city, is home to the best craftsmen in the southern Andes (Olave, Mérida, Mendivil) as well as bohemian and interesting places to stay.

The Santo Domingo complex built by the Dominicans on what was once Qorikancha (The Inca temple of the sun) contains within its Renaissance walls and vaults the treasures of two superimposed cultures. San Francisco, la Merced, San Cristobal and Santa Catalina are colonial churches built over the temples and palaces of Huayna Capac and Pachacutec in a area which, seen from above (for example from Sacsayhuaman) has the shape of a puma.

You have to get to know Cusco on foot. The best way is to set aside at least three days for your visit to Cusco to see it without rushing, together with the Inca remains surrounding the city: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara and Tambomachay.

THE SOUTHERN ANDES / THE CROWN JEWELS : 

They say that Machu Picchu and Cusco are Peru’s crown jewels in allusion to the fact that these magical places combine and fulfill the desires of travelers from all over the world to enter a world where history has left invaluable traces and is also still living. Each year, however, more and more travelers come to Peru for a complete vision of the Andean world, not only its architecture but also its landscape and culture, in the living sense of the word: the traditions, daily life and customs of ancestral communities. Thus a tour of the southern Andes extends to include Arequipa, Colca, Puno and Lake Titicaca.