Cusco history

More than 3,000 year old, Cusco is one of the oldest cities in South America.

However the beginning of the Inca civilization took place from 1200 to the 1500s. Inca builders laid out the city in the form of a puma, with the fortress of Sacsayhuaman as the head, the plaza of Huacaypata as the belly, or navel, and the Huatanay and Tullumayo rivers as the tail. The ancient plaza was the core of the Four Regions of the Inca Empire reaching from Quito, Ecuador to northern Chile.

It was in 1533 when the Spaniards arrived that Inca Empire fell. Many of the Inca structures were destroyed or used as the foundation for Spanish churches and buildings. After a devastating earthquake in 1650, Cusco became a largely baroque city.

Later in 1780 the city was the scene of the Tupac Amaru II rebellion, one of the most important rebellions in America. He fought for Peruvian indepdence but unfortunately was betrayed, defeated and then killed. However, in 1821 Peru finally gained emancipation from Spain.
In 1950 another great earthquake destroyed three quarters of the buildings in Cusco. However within 40 years tourism has played a major role in the city's economy and the city was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO.