is an Inca ceremonial fortress located two kilometers north from Cusco.|left
Killke culture The
Killke people occupied the region from 900 to 1200 AD, prior to the arrival of the
Inca in the 13th century.
Carbon-14 dating of
Saksaywaman, the walled complex outside Cusco, established that Killke constructed the fortress about 1100 AD. The Inca later expanded and occupied the complex in the 13th century. In March 2008,
archeologists discovered the ruins of an ancient temple, roadway and
aqueduct system at Saksaywaman. The temple covers some and contains 11 rooms thought to have held idols and mummies,
Inca period Cusco was long an important center of indigenous people. It was the capital of the
Inca Empire (13th century – 1532). Many believe that the city was planned as an
effigy in the shape of a
puma, a
sacred animal. How Cusco was specifically built, or how its large stones were quarried and transported to the site remain undetermined. Under the Inca, the city had two sectors: the and . Each was divided to encompass two of the four provinces,
Chinchasuyu (NW),
Antisuyu (NE),
Kuntisuyu (SW) and
Qullasuyu (SE). A road led from each quarter to the corresponding quarter of the empire. Each local leader was required to build a house in the city and live part of the year in Cusco, restricted to the quarter that corresponded to the quarter in which he held territory. After the rule of
Pachacuti, when an
Inca died, his title went to one son and his property was given to a corporation controlled by his other relatives (
split inheritance). Each title holder had to build a new house and add new lands to the empire in order to own land for his family to keep after his death. According to Inca legend, the city was rebuilt by
Sapa Inca Pachacuti, the man who transformed the Kingdom of Cusco from a sleepy city-state into the vast empire of . Archeological evidence, however, points to a slower, more organic growth of the city beginning before Pachacuti. The city was constructed according to a definite plan in which two rivers were channeled around the city. Archeologists have suggested that this city plan was replicated at other sites. The city fell to the sphere of
Huáscar during the
Inca Civil War after the death of
Huayna Capac in 1528. It was captured by the generals of
Atahualpa in April 1532 in the
Battle of Quipaipan. Nineteen months later, Spanish explorers invaded the city after kidnapping and murdering Atahualpa (see
Battle of Cuzco), and gained control.
Spanish conquest The first three
Spaniards arrived in the city in May 1533, after the
Battle of Cajamarca, collecting for
Atahualpa's
Ransom Room. On 15 November 1533
Francisco Pizarro officially arrived in Cusco. "The capital of the Incas ... astonished the Spaniards by the beauty of its edifices, the length and regularity of its streets." The great square was surrounded by several palaces, since "each sovereign built a new palace for himself." Another member of the invading party recorded that "In the delicacy of the stone work, the natives far excelled the Spaniards." The fortress had three
parapets and was composed of "heavy masses of rock". "Through the heart of the capital ran a river ... faced with stone. ... The most sumptuous edifice in Cuzco ... was undoubtedly the great temple dedicated to the Sun ... studded with gold plates ... surrounded by convents and dormitories for the priests. ... The palaces were numerous and the troops lost no time in plundering them of their contents, as well as despoiling the religious edifices," including the royal mummies in the
Coricancha. Pizarro ceremoniously gave
Manco Inca the Incan fringe as the new Peruvian leader.
Alcaldes were established and
regidores on 24 March 1534, which included the brothers
Gonzalo Pizarro and
Juan Pizarro. Pizarro left a garrison of 90 men and departed for
Jauja with Manco Inca.|left Pizarro renamed it as the "very noble and great city of Cuzco". Buildings often constructed after the Spanish invasion have a mixture of Spanish influence and Inca
indigenous architecture, including the Santa Clara and San Blas neighborhoods. The Spanish destroyed many Inca buildings, temples and palaces. They used the remaining walls as bases for the construction of a new city, and this stone masonry is still visible. Father
Vincente de Valverde became the Bishop of Cusco and built his cathedral facing the
plaza. He supported construction of the
Dominican Order monastery (
Santo Domingo Convent) on the ruins of the Corichanca, House of the Sun, and a convent at the former site of the House of the Virgins of the Sun. As a consequence of the 18th century
Bourbon Reforms, the city of Cusco was convulsed by the large indigenous
rebellion initiated by the cacique José Gabriel Condorcanqui,
Túpac Amaru II who rose up against the Spanish administration. His uprising was suppressed after several months of fighting, during which he challenged the viceregal authorities stationed in Cusco. Túpac Amaru II was defeated, taken prisoner, and executed along with his entire family in the
Plaza de Armas of Cusco. However, despite the execution of the rebellions main leaders, the rebellion persisted up until 1783, led by other leaders such as
Túpac Katari. The chapel that served as the leader's prison still stands today, next to the Church of the Society of Jesus. This movement spread rapidly throughout the Andes and marked the beginning of the South American independence process. As a result of this revolution, the Royal Audiencia of Cusco was established, and a migration of prominent Spanish families to the cities of Lima and Arequipa ensued, fearing indigenous revolts. These migrations, together with the commercial decline generated by the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, which took away the city's leading role as a transit point for travelers and merchants, explained the decline that the city suffered in the 19th century. In 1814, a new uprising against the viceregal administration occurred. The
Cuzco Rebellion, initiated in 1814 by the Angulo brothers and Brigadier
Mateo Pumacahua, a mestizo from Cusco who had fought against the forces of Túpac Amaru II, aimed to establish a governing junta in the city to unite the uprising with the process underway in Buenos Aires to achieve
Peruvian Independence. It was suppressed by Viceroy
Jose de Abascal y Souza in less than a year. Despite this rebellion, Cusco was the last royalist stronghold in Peru, maintaining its loyalty to the King of Spain until 1824, even though independence had been declared in 1821. Cusco became the last colonial capital during the rule of Viceroy
José de la Serna, who held that position from this city between December 31, 1821, and December 1824. During this time, the Royal Army was stationed in Cusco, and other institutions such as the Mint and the printing press operated there. Only after the defeat at the
Battle of Ayacucho was known, on December 22, 1824, did the Cusco City Council recognize the capitulation of Ayacucho and accept
Agustín Gamarra, a native of Cusco, as the new authority, who would hold the position of prefect. This brought an end to the colonial intendancy. On December 25, 1824, patriot troops entered the city under Gamarra's command, who received political authority from the last governor-intendant, Antonio María Álvarez , and prepared for the arrival of Simón Bolívar, who would reach Cusco in 1825.
Republican era A major earthquake on 21 May 1950 damaged more than one third of the city's structures. The Dominican Priory and Church of Santo Domingo, which were built on top of the impressive (Temple of the Sun), were among the affected colonial era buildings. Inca architecture withstood the earthquake. Many of the old Inca walls were at first thought to have been lost after the earthquake, but the
granite retaining walls of the were exposed, as well as those of other ancient structures throughout the city. Restoration work at the Santo Domingo complex exposed the Inca masonry formerly obscured by the superstructure without compromising the integrity of the colonial heritage. Many of the buildings damaged in 1950 had been impacted by an earthquake only nine years previously.In the 1990s, during the
mayoral administration of Mayor
Daniel Estrada Pérez, the city underwent a new process of beautification through the restoration of monuments and the construction of plazas, fountains and monuments. Likewise, thanks to the efforts of this authority, various recognitions were achieved, such as the declaration as "Historical Capital of Peru" contained in the text of the Political Constitution of Peru of 1993. It was also decided to change the coat of arms of Cusco, leaving aside the colonial coat of arms and adopting the as the new coat of arms. Additionally, the change of the official name of the city was proposed to adopt the Quechua word , but this change was reversed a few years later. Currently, Cusco is the most important tourist destination in Peru. Under the administration of mayor Daniel Estrada Pérez, a staunch supporter of the , between 1983 and 1995 the
Quechua name was officially adopted for the city. Tourism in the city was drastically affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic in Peru and the
2022–2023 Peruvian protests, with the latter event costing the area 10 million soles daily.
Honors • In 1933, the Congress of Americanists met in
La Plata, Argentina, and declared the city as the Archeological Capital of the Americas. • In 1978, the 7th Convention of Mayors of Great World Cities met in
Milan, Italy, and declared Cusco a Cultural Heritage of the World. • In 1983,
UNESCO, in Paris, France, declared the city a
World Heritage Site. The
Peruvian government declared it the Tourism Capital of Peru and
Cultural Heritage of the Nation. • In 2001, in Cusco, the south American Congress of Aldermen and Councillors awarded Cusco the title of Historical Capital of in south america. • In 2007 the Organización Capital Americana de la Cultura awarded Cusco the title of Cultural Capital of America. ==Geography==