Cusco

Lore & Background

The region was inhabited by the Killke culture in the 10th century, with the fortress Sacsayhuamán being built by the Inca in the 15th century. According to Inca tradition, the city was founded around the 13th century (c. 1200 CE) by Manco Cápac as the capital of the Kingdom of Cusco and, later, of the Inca Empire. The region was conquered in the 16th century by the Spanish and reestablished on 23 March 1534, with most of the city being constructed over monuments left from the Inca Empire. In 1983, Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with the title 'City of Cusco'. Many believe that the city was planned as an effigy in the shape of a puma, a sacred animal. Under the Inca, the city had two sectors, each divided to encompass two of the four provinces. During the Inca Civil War, Cusco was the stronghold of Huáscar, and it was captured by the generals of Atahualpa in 1532. Spanish explorers invaded the city after kidnapping and murdering Atahualpa. The first three Spaniards arrived in November 1533, and Francisco Pizarro officially arrived on 15 November 1533. The great square was surrounded by several palaces. The most sumptuous edifice was the great temple dedicated to the Sun, studded with gold plates. The palaces were plundered, including the royal mummies, which were kept in their respective palaces, not in the Coricancha.

In Their Own Story

The morning mist clung to the cobblestones of Plaza de Armas as the first cathedral bells tolled, their bronze tones vibrating against stone walls that have survived centuries of earthquakes without mortar. An elderly woman in a vibrant woven aguayo paused near the fountain, her gaze tracing the seamless joinery where Spanish arches meet Inca precision. She whispered a prayer to Pachamama, then crossed herself, her hands weaving between two worlds stitched together by blood and stone. High on the hills of Sacsayhuamán, the silence felt heavy with the ghosts of emperors, waiting for the sun to crest the peaks once more.

Reader's Guide

Cusco has become a major tourist destination, hosting over 2 million visitors a year and providing passage to numerous Incan ruins, such as Machu Picchu, one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft). The largest district in the city is the Cusco District, which had a population of 114,630 in 2017, making up about one quarter of the city's total population. The official Flag of Cusco consists of seven horizontal stripes in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, sky blue, blue, and violet, representing the rainbow. Since 2021, the flag has also included the golden Inti, a symbol associated with the city's historical identity. The Coat of arms of Cusco was officially adopted in 1986 and features the Inti, a golden sun emblem, as the central element. The Anthem of Cusco was composed by Roberto Ojeda Campana with lyrics by Luis Nieto Miranda in 1944. In 1991, the anthem was translated into Quechua by Faustino Espinoza Navarro and Mario Mejía Waman.

Did You Know?

• The most widely accepted etymology of the indigenous name of the city is from Quechua 'qusqu', meaning 'navel' or 'center'.
• In 1976, the city mayor signed an ordinance banning the traditional spelling and ordering the use of 'Cusco' in municipality publications.
• The city's international airport code is CUZ, reflecting the earlier Spanish spelling.
• Cusco is the seventh-most populous city in Peru; in 2017, it had a population of 428,450.