Cusco

The continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city, Cusco is located in southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes Mountain Range. Ever popular with tourists on a Peru vacation, Cusco serves as the gateway to the world-famous Machu Picchu.

Before the arrival of the Incas, Cusco was inhabited by the Killke people from 900-1200 AD.  The city grew to become the capital of the Inca Empire and was the centre of its political, military and cultural dealings. While Spaniards originally came to Cusco in November 1533, the city was not officially founded until Francisco Pizarro arrived in March 1534. Just as Cusco was important to the Incas, it became the centre for Spanish colonization as well as a base for the spread of Christianity. The city’s importance began to wane until the discovery of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham in 1911 brought Cusco worldwide attention.