Cusco (Qusqu in Quechua — "navel of the world" — population 430,000, altitude 3,399m) was the capital of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu — "the four regions" in Quechua) from the 13th to the 16th century: the most powerful pre-Columbian empire in South America and the largest empire in the history of the Americas before European contact. The Plaza de Armas (the most important central square in the Inca world, rebuilt by the Spanish over the Inca Huacaypata), the Sacsayhuaman fortress (the most impressive Inca stonework in the world — the massive polygonal limestone blocks fitted without mortar to tolerances of less than 1mm), the Qorikancha Temple of the Sun (the most sacred building in the Inca Empire — stripped of its gold by the Spanish to build the Santo Domingo convent on top), and the proximity to Machu Picchu (the most visited single archaeological site in South America — 80km away by train through the Sacred Valley) make Cusco the most historically important city in the Americas south of Mexico City and the most visited city in Peru.
Acclimatization and coca tea (the most important first activity in Cusco for every visitor arriving from sea level): the altitude of Cusco (3,399m above sea level — the most challenging altitude for newly arrived visitors in South America: the most common travel health issue in the Andes is acute mountain sickness (AMS — the "soroche" in Spanish: the most commonly used word for altitude sickness in the Andean countries): AMS affects the most visitors arriving in Cusco from sea level (estimates suggest 25–85% of visitors experience some AMS symptoms in the first 24–48 hours — the most important reason to plan the first day in Cusco as the most gentle and the most restful day of the visit)). Coca tea (the "mate de coca" — the most important traditional altitude remedy in the Andean world): the coca leaf (the "hoja de coca" — the "leaf of coca": Erythroxylum coca — the most culturally significant plant in Andean civilization (the most sacred plant of the Inca Empire: the coca leaf was used in every important Inca religious ritual, every important social gathering and every important diplomatic ceremony in the Tawantinsuyu — the most pervasive single plant in the ritual economy of the Inca state)) contains the most important alkaloids for altitude acclimatization: cocaine (the most pharmacologically active alkaloid in the coca leaf — present in the most minute quantities in traditional leaf preparations (approximately 0.5–1% by weight in the leaf — the most dilute natural cocaine preparation compared to refined cocaine (the most concentrated cocaine preparation: refined cocaine is the most pure alkaloid extract — the most pharmacologically intense form compared to the traditional coca leaf chew or tea)), the most important physiological effects of the coca alkaloids at altitude: vasoconstriction (the most important cardiovascular effect: the mild vasoconstrictive action helps the most oxygen-starved peripheral tissues maintain the most adequate blood pressure at altitude) and glucose release (the most important energy effect: the coca alkaloids promote the most rapid conversion of liver glycogen to blood glucose (the most immediately available energy substrate for the most altitude-stressed brain and muscles)).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideQorikancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo (the most sacred Inca building and the most architecturally complex colonial superimposition in South America): the Qorikancha (the "Quri Kancha" in Quechua — the "Golden Enclosure" or the "Golden Court": the most sacred single building in the entire Inca Empire (the most important religious building in the most extensive pre-Columbian civilization in the Americas)). The Inca gold (the most lavishly gold-decorated building in the history of the Americas before the Spanish conquest): the Qorikancha (according to the most reliable early Spanish chroniclers (the conquistador Pedro de Cieza de Leon (the most diligent Spanish chronicler of Inca civilization) and the mestizo chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega (the most important mixed-heritage Inca historian — the son of an Inca princess and a Spanish conquistador: the most personally authoritative voice on both Inca and Spanish Cusco))): the walls of the Qorikancha were covered with 700 sheets of pure gold (the most precisely reported gold decoration in any South American building: 700 sheets each weighing approximately 2kg — the most gold ever used to decorate a single interior wall surface in the Americas (approximately 1.4 tonnes of gold sheet — the most valuable single building decoration ever stripped in the history of the Andean conquests)). The Inca stonework (the most precisely cut stone in all of pre-Columbian architecture — the most extraordinary technical achievement in the history of Andean building): the Qorikancha walls (the most admired Inca masonry in Cusco: the perfectly fitted polygonal andesite blocks (the most precisely shaped stone in the history of pre-modern construction: the joints between the blocks are so tight that even the most thin blade cannot be inserted between them (the most commonly cited single proof of Inca stonecutting precision: a standard business card (0.76mm thick — the most commonly available thin flat object in any wallet) cannot be inserted between the most precisely fitted Qorikancha stone joints)).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSan Blas neighbourhood and artisan workshops (the most charming and the most artistically rich colonial quarter in Cusco): the San Blas barrio (the "Barrio de los Artesanos" — the craftsmen's quarter of Cusco: the most artistically concentrated neighbourhood in the most artistic city in Peru (Cusco is the most important city in Peru for traditional Andean arts and crafts)): the San Blas neighbourhood (the highest-altitude barrio in Cusco's central zone — the most steeply ascending streets in the city centre (the cobblestoned callejones (narrow alleys) of San Blas climb the most abruptly from the Plaza de Armas to the ridge of the surrounding hillside — the most leg-testing uphill walk in any colonial city quarter in Peru)). The San Blas Church (the "Templo de San Blas" — the most important colonial church in the San Blas neighbourhood and the location of the most elaborately carved wooden pulpit in South America): the San Blas pulpit (the most complex single piece of colonial wood carving in the Americas — the most astonishing single decorative object in any church in Cusco): carved from a single tree trunk (the most ambitious single-material wood carving in the colonial Americas: the carving uses a single cedro (cedar) trunk as the starting material (the most dense and the most carving-resistant domestic timber in Peru) from which the most complex three-dimensional figures are simultaneously carved — the most technically demanding single material challenge in Andean colonial woodcarving). The artisan workshops (the most important craft production sites in Cusco): the San Blas quarter is home to the most concentrated collection of traditional Andean craft workshops in the city: the textile workshops (the most important alpaca and vicuna weaving in Cusco — the "tejidos" workshops using the most ancient Andean weaving techniques), the ceramics workshops (the most important "pottery of the four winds" (the most traditionally decorated ceramics in Cusco) at the most historically significant studios), and the wood carving studios (the most complex baroque-Andean hybrid style in any craft workshop in Peru).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuidePlaza de Armas at golden hour and dinner (the most dramatic evening view in Cusco and the most important Peruvian food experience): the Plaza de Armas (the most important single urban space in the Inca world and the most photographed square in all of Peru): the original Inca plaza (the "Huacaypata" — the most dramatically named central space in the Inca Empire: the "Place of Weeping" (the Quechua "huacay" (to cry) + "pata" (platform or terrace): the most emotionally charged place name in Inca urban geography — the plaza used for the most important state mourning ceremonies, the most sacred ritual weeping before the Inca sun god Inti during the most important solar festivals)). The golden hour light on the Plaza de Armas (the most beautiful single time of day in Cusco): the setting sun catches the most golden light on the most important colonial buildings surrounding the plaza (the Cusco Cathedral (built 1560–1654 — the most impressive single colonial building in Cusco: the most massive Spanish colonial church facade in the Americas (the "catedral" (the cathedral of the most important colonial bishopric in Peru — the Bishopric of Cusco (established 1537 — the most historically significant ecclesiastical foundation in the Andes: the first cathedral diocese established in the Spanish colonial viceroyalty of Peru)))). The pisco sour (the national cocktail of Peru and the most internationally recognized single Peruvian drink): the pisco sour (the "pisco" (the Peruvian grape brandy — the most important spirit in Peru: the "pisco" (from the Quechua "pisqu" — the most debated etymology in Andean spirits history: either from the Quechua "pisku" (a bird — the most colorful interpretation: the pisco bird is the most abundant small bird in the Pisco Valley region) or from the port of Pisco (the most important early export port for the Peruvian brandy on the south coast of Peru)) + the most important Peruvian egg white (the "clara de huevo" — the foam-creating protein: the most important textural element in the pisco sour (the most foam-dependent cocktail in the world: the egg white foam on the pisco sour is the most culturally essential single element of the drink)) + the most important Peruvian lime (the "limon" — the small green Peruvian citrus: the most acidic and the most aromatic citrus fruit in Peru, distinct from the Key lime)).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSacsayhuaman (the most impressive Inca stonework in the world and the most dramatically positioned fortress in the Andes — 2km uphill from the Plaza de Armas at 3,701m altitude): the Sacsayhuaman (the "Saywaq Uma" in Quechua — the most debated Quechua etymology in Cusco: traditionally translated as "satisfied falcon" (the most poetically appealing interpretation: "saqsay" (satisfied/full) + "waman" (falcon/hawk) — the most regal bird in Inca symbolism: the falcon (the most important hunting bird in the Inca royal court)), but also interpreted by some as the most architecturally descriptive: "Royal Eagle" or "Speckled Head" (the most geological interpretation: the spotted granite pattern of the fortress head seen from the valley below)). The three terraced zigzag ramparts (the most distinctive architectural feature of Sacsayhuaman — the most recognizable single Inca construction in the world outside Machu Picchu): the three parallel terraced walls (the most unusual defensive design in pre-Columbian military architecture: the zigzag plan (the most geometrically angular defensive perimeter in Inca military architecture: the jagged plan (approximately 22 angular projections on each wall — the most mathematically precise zigzag in Andean military construction) allows the most effective flanking fire from the towers against any attacking force (the most important tactical advantage of the zigzag wall: no attacker can approach any section of the wall without being exposed to fire from the most adjacent sections of the zigzag on both sides)). The massive limestone blocks (the most impressive single stones moved by any pre-Columbian civilization): the largest blocks (the most precise weight estimates from modern geological analysis: the largest single block at Sacsayhuaman weighs approximately 355–360 tonnes (the most massive single stone ever moved in the pre-Columbian Americas: heavier than the most massive blocks at Stonehenge (the most famous megalithic monument in Europe: the largest Stonehenge sarsen stones weigh approximately 25 tonnes — the most frequently cited comparison: the Sacsayhuaman blocks are the most disproportionately heavy compared to any other megalithic monument in the world (14 times heavier than Stonehenge's largest stone)))).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSacred Valley of the Incas (the most agriculturally and ceremonially important valley in the Inca Empire — 75km from Cusco): the Sacred Valley (the "Valle Sagrado de los Incas" — the "Valle del Urubamba": the Urubamba River valley (the "Vilcamayu" — the "Sacred River" in Quechua: the most important river in the Inca Empire — the sacred river running through the most fertile and the most ceremonially significant valley in Tawantinsuyu)). Pisac (the most dramatically positioned Inca fortress and terrace complex in the Sacred Valley): the Pisac ruins (the "P'isaqa" in Quechua — the most significantly positioned Inca site in the upper Sacred Valley: the fortress (the most strategically sited Inca military installation in the valley: positioned on the most commanding promontory above the confluence of the Quitamayo and Urubamba rivers — the most important river junction in the upper valley) combined with the most extensive agricultural terrace complex in the Sacred Valley (the Pisac terraces — the most dramatically tiered agricultural engineering in the Inca Empire: the 1,500m of elevation gain covered by continuous Inca terracing (the most vertically extended single terrace system in the Americas — the most impressive single agricultural engineering project in the history of the Inca Empire))). Ollantaytambo (the most completely preserved Inca town in the world — the only major Inca urban planning grid still inhabited and in continuous use): Ollantaytambo (the "Ollantay Tampu" in Quechua — the most historically layered Inca town name: "Ollantay" (the name of the most celebrated hero of Inca oral literature — the general who fell in love with an Inca princess and was punished for the most romantically daring act in Inca court history: the forbidden love of a commoner for a royal woman) + "Tampu" (the Inca word for a way-station (the "tambos" — the most important infrastructure element in the Inca road system: the storehouses and rest-houses along the "Qhapaq Nan" (the most extensive road network in pre-Columbian America: 40,000km of roads — the most far-reaching infrastructure in the history of the Americas before European contact))).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideOllantaytambo Temple of the Sun and the Inca town (the most completely preserved Inca urban plan in existence and the location of the most important unfinished Inca temple in the Sacred Valley): the Temple of the Sun (the "Templo del Sol" at Ollantaytambo — the most dramatically incomplete Inca religious building: the construction was interrupted by the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in 1532 (the most abruptly interrupted construction project in the history of Andean architecture: the Inca masons abandoned the temple mid-construction (the most clearly visible evidence of the most sudden historical disruption in Andean building history: the unfinished stones, the construction ramps and the half-moved andesite blocks still visible at the site tell the most vivid single story of historical interruption in all of South American archaeology)). The "Wall of Six Monoliths" (the most precisely fitted large-stone element of the Temple of the Sun — the most impressive single wall in the Sacred Valley): the six massive pink andesite monoliths (each weighing 50–70 tonnes — the most precisely fitted large stone elements in any incomplete Inca structure: the six monoliths are separated by the most precisely cut "I-shaped" stone connectors (the most unusual and the most interlocking joint design in Inca construction: the "I-clamp" stones that lock the monoliths together at the top and bottom — the most seismically resistant joint design in Inca architecture (the most earthquake-resistant building technology in pre-Columbian construction: the interlocking stones that cannot be shaken loose by the most intense Andean seismic activity — the most practically important reason for the survival of Inca buildings through centuries of Andean earthquakes))). The Kachiqhata quarry transport (the most logistically challenging stone transport in the Sacred Valley): the pink andesite monoliths were quarried at Kachiqhata (6km from Ollantaytambo — the most distant quarry source for any single Inca building project in the Sacred Valley): the stones had to be transported across the Urubamba River (the most hydrologically challenging obstacle in the transport route — the most flood-prone river in the Sacred Valley) and up a 300m rock face (the most vertically challenging final approach to any Inca construction site in the valley).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideOvernight in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo — the most important pre-Machu Picchu base town and the most inaccessibly located tourist town in Peru): Aguas Calientes (the "Machu Picchu Pueblo" — the official modern name: the town renamed to "Machu Picchu Pueblo" in 1998 (the most tourist-logically obvious renaming in Peruvian place name history: the renaming of the most commercially important train terminus in Peru from the most geographically descriptive name ("Aguas Calientes" — the "hot waters" (the most transparently geological place name in the Sacred Valley: named for the hydrothermal springs that emerge from the most tectonically active section of the Urubamba gorge)) to the most tourist-market-friendly name ("Machu Picchu Pueblo" — the "Machu Picchu Town": the most commercially useful name for the most internationally searched tourist destination in South America)). The train journey from Ollantaytambo (the most scenic short train journey in South America — the most breathtaking 40-minute rail descent into the cloud forest): the train descends from the open Sacred Valley (the most panoramically wide mountain valley in the region) through the progressively narrowing and the most steepening Urubamba gorge (the most dramatically geological river gorge in the southern Andes: the gorge walls rising to 1,000m on both sides — the most enclosed train journey in Peru) into the most lush and the most bio-diverse cloud forest (the "Ceja de Selva" — the "Eyebrow of the Jungle": the most biologically rich transition zone between the Andes and the Amazon — the highest altitude cloud forest in the Americas).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMachu Picchu at sunrise (the most dramatic archaeological site in the Americas and the most visited single heritage site in South America — UNESCO World Heritage 1983): the Machu Picchu citadel (the "Machu Picchu" — the "Old Mountain" in Quechua: "machu" (old) + "picchu" (mountain/peak): the most evocatively named single archaeological site in the world (the mountain that is the "old" or the "big" peak of the Inca citadel — in contrast to the Huayna Picchu: the "Waynapicchu" — the "Young Mountain" or the "New Mountain": the smaller, more dramatically shaped peak behind the citadel in the most famous single photograph of Machu Picchu)). The sunrise at Machu Picchu (the most spectacular single moment in South American travel — the first light arriving from the most dramatically positioned dawn horizon over the Andes): the most important time to visit Machu Picchu is the earliest bus from Aguas Calientes (first bus: 05:30 — the most crowded single departing bus in Peru: the most urgently competitive queuing experience in South American tourism (the queue for the first Machu Picchu bus begins forming at 04:00 — the most anti-social wake-up time in the entire Cusco itinerary)) to arrive at the gate for the 06:00 opening (the most important opening time in South American heritage tourism: the most uncrowded 60 minutes at Machu Picchu are the first 60 minutes after the 06:00 gate opening — the most peaceful single hour at the most visited site in South America). The Intihuatana (the "Intiwatana" — the "Hitching Post of the Sun" in Quechua: the "inti" (sun — the most sacred Inca deity) + "watana" (hitching post or tying place): the most precisely shaped astronomical stone in the Inca world (the stone pillar carved from a single granite outcrop at the highest point of the Machu Picchu complex — the most strategically positioned single stone in the entire citadel) — the most important ceremonial solar observatory in the Inca Empire.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHuayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain hike (the most dramatically exposed and the most vertigo-inducing hike in the Machu Picchu area): Huayna Picchu (the "Waynapicchu" — the "Young Mountain": the dramatically shaped narrow peak visible in the background of every classic Machu Picchu photograph): the Huayna Picchu hike (the most physically demanding short hike in all of South America: the 1.5km trail gaining 400 vertical metres in the most almost-vertical single ascent of any hiking trail in Peru): the Inca stone steps (the most precariously narrow steps in any Inca trail system: the Huayna Picchu steps are the most dramatically exposed to the most vertiginous drop-offs (the most terrifying single hiking moment for altitude-phobic visitors in the most commonly reported "scary" hiking experience in Peru: the vertical drops of 300–400m on both sides of the most narrow ridge sections of the Huayna Picchu trail (the most exposure to height of any short hike in Peru))). Alternative: Machu Picchu Mountain (the "Montaña Machu Picchu" — the 3,082m summit directly behind and above the citadel): the most complete single panoramic view of the entire Machu Picchu archaeological complex (the most comprehensive single overlook in the entire Machu Picchu area: from the Machu Picchu Mountain summit at 3,082m, the entire citadel is visible from the most elevated perspective (the most complete aerial-style view of Machu Picchu available without a helicopter or a drone (the most photography-rewarding single vantage point in the entire Machu Picchu area))). Both hikes require separate tickets (the most important pre-booking advice at Machu Picchu: the Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain tickets sell out weeks in advance — the most urgently pre-purchased tourist tickets in Peru).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMercado de San Pedro (the most authentic and the most locally important food market in Cusco — the market where Cusquenos buy their daily food): the Mercado de San Pedro (the "San Pedro Market" — built in 1925 by the most important architect in Cusco's early 20th-century history: the iron structure designed by Gustave Eiffel (the most frequently incorrectly attributed building in Cusco: the market is often said to have been "designed by Eiffel" (the most famous iron structure designer in the world: Gustave Eiffel (1832–1923) — the designer of the Eiffel Tower (the most visited man-made monument in the world) and the Eiffel-designed iron structures in Latin America) — the attribution is disputed but the most commonly repeated claim in Cusco tourist literature)). The chicha morada (the most important non-alcoholic Andean beverage and the most visually distinctive single drink in Peru): the chicha morada (the "purple corn drink" — the most nutritionally important traditional Andean beverage after water: made from the most distinctively colored variety of maize in the Americas (the "maiz morado" — the purple corn: the most anthocyanin-rich corn variety in the world (the most intensely pigmented natural food colorant in the Americas: the purple corn (Zea mays var. indurata "Kulli corn") contains the highest concentration of anthocyanins (the most antioxidant-powerful plant pigments in the purple color range) of any corn variety in the world)). The choclo con queso (the most Andean traditional snack and the most important afternoon street food in any Cusco market): the "choclo" (the Peruvian giant corn — the most unusually large corn variety in the world: the Peruvian "choclo" (from the Quechua "chuqllu" — the most precisely Quechua-derived food name in Peruvian Spanish: the corn known in English as "Peruvian giant corn" or "Cuzco corn" is the most distinct corn variety from the most Andean agricultural tradition (the Andes is the original center of corn domestication — the most important single agricultural event in the history of the Americas: corn (Zea mays) was first domesticated from the most ancient Teosinte grass ancestor approximately 9,000 years ago in Mexico (the most important crop domestication site in the Americas) and subsequently developed into the most diverse range of corn varieties in the Andes)).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideFarewell Cusco dinner — Peruvian cuisine (the most internationally celebrated national cuisine in South America): the Peruvian culinary tradition (the most internationally recognized South American cuisine and the most frequently awarded national cuisine in Latin America in the most important international food rankings (the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list has the most Peruvian representation of any South American country: Peru is the most culinarily internationally visible South American nation in the history of gastronomy tourism)). The lomo saltado (the most internationally known Peruvian main course and the most important single dish of the "chifa" culinary tradition): the "lomo saltado" (the "sautéed loin" — the most literally translated Peruvian dish name in international menus: the "lomo" (loin — the most tender beef cut) + "saltado" (sautéed/stir-fried — the most technically Chinese cooking method in the Peruvian culinary tradition: the stir-fry technique is the most Chinese-derived single cooking method in Peruvian cuisine (the "chifa" tradition — the Chinese-Peruvian fusion cuisine: the most extensive Chinese food influence on any South American national cuisine (the Chinese immigration to Peru (the "coolies" — the most problematically named Chinese migrant workers in 19th-century history: the indentured Chinese labourers brought to Peru from 1849 to replace slave labour on the most important coastal plantations and guano islands — the most commercially significant Chinese migration to South America in the 19th century) introduced the most important Chinese stir-fry cooking technique (the "wok" stir-fry — the most distinctively Chinese cooking method) into the Peruvian kitchen (the most receptive and the most creatively adaptive national culinary tradition in South America))).
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