Cusco - Home to Energy and Mysticism

Four roads once led from Cusco's Main Square to the four corners of the Inca empire that extended from what is today Ecuador and part of Colombia, to northern Chile and Argentina, including all of Peru and Bolivia.

An empire almost as vast as the Roman Empire, the Inca nation was connected by a road network stretching over 23,000 kilometres (14,300 miles).

Cusco's Main Square, known as the Wajaypata in Inca times, was the site of many celebrations and is still an ideal meeting place. The cathedral and La Compañia, two of Cusco's colonial churches, frame the plaza. The Incas' most sacred building in Cusco, the Koricancha ('Temple of the Sun'), today forms part of the Spanish church of Santo Domingo.

Other colonial churches which should not be missed are the convent of Santa Catalina (site of the Inca Acllawasi, or Residence of the Chosen Women) and San Blas, with its famous pulpit, in the artists' quarter.

Ruins, temples, churches and mansions make this a memorable destination, full of history and culture - a city with a splendid legacy.

Cusco's winding, cobbled streets transport visitors through its rich and beautiful past.