Cuzco

Cuzco, Peru, is a busy city situated at the head of a valley in the Andes, 3,400 m/ 11,000 ft above sea level. It has many fine colonial churches, monasteries, and convents, and extensive Inca ruins. The city is still laid out roughly in the shape of a puma, as originally conceived by the Incas.

Capital of Cuzco department, south-central Peru, 560 km/350 mi southeast of Lima; situated in a small valley in the Andes at a height of over 3,350 m/11,000 ft above sea level; population (1993) 255,600. The city is a commercial centre, the hub of the South American travel network, and a tourist resort. Manufactures include woollen and leather goods, beer, and fertilizers. Cuzco was founded c. 1200 as the ancient capital of the Inca empire and was captured by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1533. It is the archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continually inhabited city on the continent.

Cuzcos's university was founded in 1598. There are many churches in the city. The cathedral (1559) is joined with two other churches – Igelsia Jesus María (1733) and Iglesia El Triunfo, which dates back to 1536 making it the city's oldest church. The Dominican priory and church of Santo Domingo, which was built on the foundations of the Inca sun temple of Coricancha, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1650 and badly damaged by a subsequent earthquake in 1950. There are many Inca ruins (Sacsayhuamán, Qenko, Puca Pucara, and Tambo Machay) and in the 1970s and 1980s the Inca irrigation canals and terracing nearby were being restored to increase cultivation. The Sacsayhuamán ruins (an Inca ceremonial sanctuary) to the northwest of the city are the largest and most impressive in the Cuzco area; only 20 % of the original structure remains.

Cuzco

A Quechua mother in Cuzco, Peru, carrying her child in a traditional sling of colourful woven cloth. The majority of the population of the city are Quechua.

Department in southern Peru, the second largest in the country (after Loreto), with an area of 76,329 sq km/29,471 sq mi; population (2005) 326,400; urban agglomeration 1,171,500. It is subdivided into 13 provinces, the largest of which, La Convención, is in the tropical valleys of the Apurímac and Urubamba rivers, and covers 39,974 sq km/15,434 sq mi. The rest of the department lies in the Andean highlands. Agriculture and mining are the principal occupations of the region's inhabitants. The department's capital, also named Cuzco, was the ancient capital of the Inca empire.

Features The department of Cuzco contains some of the highest peaks in Peru, notably Salcantay (5,219 m/17,122 ft), Ausangate (6,384 m/20,944 ft), Pumasillo (6,070 m/19,914 ft), and Colquecruz (6,111 m/20,048 ft), all of which are located in the Vilcanota range.

In the highland areas of Cuzco, cereals and potatoes are grown, while tea, coffee, and cacao are cultivated in the hotter valleys. The high pastures support large numbers of cattle, sheep, alpacas, and llamas. The many mines in the department yield copper, lead, zinc, silver, and gold.

Inca sites Several important archaeological sites lie within the territory of Cuzco, the most famous of which is Machu Picchu, 112 km/ 70 mi from the city of Cuzco. Machu Picchu, thought to be an abandoned Inca fortress, was built in around 1500 on a spectacular mountain site 2,400 m/7,874 ft above sea-level. It was only rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham. There is now a hydroelectric plant near the ruins, as well as a state-owned hotel. A railway from Cuzco passes near to the site. Further northeast is the Incan city of Vilcabamba, the last stronghold of the Incas under Manco II and Tupuc Amaru until it was destroyed by the Spanish in 1572. Vilcabamba was rediscovered in 1964.