Cusco 13 March 2012

The Cathedral

 Located at an altitude of 3,360m above sea level, Cusco was referred to as the 'Navel of the World'.Everyone tells you to take it easy when you arrive to allow the body to get used to the altitude, so we rested for a few hours. You need to be very careful when opening tubes of cream and shampoo as the contents spurt out all over the place.

Often referred to as the 'Archaeological Capital of the Americas' Cusco is a beautiful city riddled with contrasts between the indigenous styles and the modern western world. 

Plaza de Armas

The courtyard of our hotel

 The Inca walls are made from enormous granite blocks carved to fit together perfectly without the aid of mortar beds. Many of the walls were simply built upon during the construction of a new Spanish city. Its a tribute to the Incas that their anti seismic design has survived the test of time while the Spanish colonial architecture has been rebuilt several times following a wave of earthquakes that have hit the city.

Pork Shop in the town market

The city has a long and interesting history dating back to 1200AD and linked to the first Inca ruler Manco Capac. However the city saw its expansion in the 15th century under the rule of the greatest Inca Pachacutec, who led a drive that spread the boundaries of the Inca empire as far south as Chile and Argentina, and north to include Ecuador and Columbia. This rapid expansion came to an end on the invasion of the Spanish who marched into Cusco in 1534.