Cusco, the Imperial Capital of the Incas, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas.
Cusco is a spectacular destination where the imprints of the Incas and the influence of colonial Spain are found on every street corner and interwoven through the city's architecture. Its name "Cusco" or Cuzco" means in Quechua "centre of the world, from when it was the capital of the Tahuantinsuyo empire, as the Inca empire was known, Book a
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From the moment you arrive in this beautiful city it involves you with a mystical energy. Known as the archaeological capital of America, Cusco is surrounded by Sacsayhuaman and Puca Pucara, the Ollantaytambo complex, the royal garden of Tampumachay and beautiful towns such as Pisaq, Chinchero, Calca and Yucuay, that keep the traditions of their ancestors.
Although Cusco is predominantly pre-Columbian, with such treasures as the Coricancha (the Sun Temple),the Kiswar Kancha, the Amaru Cancha (Snake Fence), and the Ajilla Wasi, colonial gems such as the Cathedral, the church and Convent of La Merced and the San Blas Temple merge into its architecture.
Folklore Cusco is known for the wealth and diversity of its traditions. The most spectacular dances are the Dance of the Churches, the Qollas, the Cusco Carnival, the Dance of the Doctorcitos, the Dance of the Negritos, the Contradanza,the Sacra K'achampa and the Panadero.
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Handicrafts Cusco offers several types of handicrafts. You can find textiles, sacred figurines, pottery, jewellery and gems with Andean motifs, and woodcarvings.
San Blas is, without doubt, one of the most importan neighbourhoods for traditional artisans. You can visit the workshops of master artisans like Mendivil, Ediberto Merida, Antonio Olave and Gregorio Bejar there. The richness and variety of representations begin with the Three Wise Men , the Virgin Mary, the Baby Jesus and Archangels, among many others.
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Cuisine The usual places to try food in Cusco are the traditional restaurants called chicherias and picanterias where you can eat typical dishes like:
Kapchi - lima bean or mushroom soup, with potatoes, milk, eggs and cheese Chicharron mote - pork rinds fried in their own fat, seerved with hominy or individual kernels of swwet corn
Humita - a sweet or salty tamal, served without sauce
Saralawa - soup of fresh corn, lima beans, dry aji amarillo (yellow hot peppers) and huacatay (native herb)
Chuno cola - beef soup with rice, garbanzo beans and dehydrated potatoes
Adobo - pork marinated in chicha and spices and cooked in a clay pot
Olluco con carne - Ollucu stew with jerky or llama meat
