"Qosqo, hatun llaqta napaikukin!"

We greet you, Cusco, great and supreme city!

This was the proud Quechua cry of travelers when arriving in this city. Although the Huatanay Valley where Cusco lies, had been inhabited for centuries long before the arrival of the Incas, its historic origins is inevitably linked to the legend of the foundation of the Inca Empire.

M'anko Qapak and Mama Oqllo, Founders of Cusco City

According to tradition, Inca Manko Qapak is responsible for the first plan of the city in the form of a puma with the head of a hawk; later it was divided into Hanan Cusco or upper sector, and Hurin Cusco or lower sector. The construction of the main palaces and monuments in existence at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards is attributed to Pachacutec (about 1438). In 1533, marked by the fires of history and the relentless laws of the conquerors - the city was once again a transformed, this time in a two fold manner: temples, palaces and dwelling areas where destroyed; other similar ones were partially preserved, and baraque or renaissance churches, convents, royal colleges, and colonial mansions were built over their foundations by the Spaniards.

Cusco City

Inca Roka Palace
The foundation of this build is a original Inca wall

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