Plaza de Armas Historic Heart

The Plaza de Armas is a vast, open public square ringed by stone arcades and grand colonial facades, situated at an altitude of over eleven thousand feet. Long before Spanish rule, this space was known as Huacaypata, the ceremonial and…

The Cusco Cathedral, or the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, is defined by its massive, rugged masonry constructed from giant andesite blocks taken from the ancient Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán. This monumental site…

Calle Triunfo is a stone-paved passage connecting the main plaza of Cusco to the neighborhood of San Blas. The lane is defined by its layered architecture, where colonial buildings rest directly upon foundations of massive, interlocking…

The Twelve Angled Stone is a singular block of green diorite, identifiable by the twelve distinct, precisely carved corners that allow it to lock seamlessly into the surrounding masonry. It forms part of an ancient Inca wall on Hatun…

Kusicancha is a complex of finely fitted Inca stone walls located just a short distance from the main square of Cusco, nestled between the streets of Pampa del Castillo, Maruri, Romeritos, and the square of Santo Domingo. The name…

Calle Loreto, historically known as Intikijllu, or the Sun Alley, is distinguished by massive stone walls that stand as some of the most enduring remnants of the Inca Empire in Cusco. The street connects the Plaza de Armas to the site of…

The Church of the Society of Jesus dominates the Plaza de Armas with an ornate, symmetric façade carved from andesite stone. It stands directly upon the foundations of Amarucancha, the palace once belonging to the Inca ruler Huayna Capac.…