Cusco Historic Center (Centro Historico de Cusco), Cusco: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

The Cusco Historic Center occupies the site of the former Inca capital of Qosqo in the Peruvian Andes at 3,400 meters elevation, a grid of narrow streets built directly atop Inca stone foundations. The Plaza de Armas, originally the Inca Huacaypata ceremonial square, is bordered by the Cathedral of Santo Domingo—built between 1559 and 1654 using stones from the nearby Sacsayhuamán fortress—and the Church of La Compañía de Jesús. Inca-era walls of precisely fitted stone, laid without mortar, remain visible beneath colonial and republican-era structures throughout the district. UNESCO inscribed the center in 1983. is just one of many options in Cusco. Major attractions worth considering include Agricultural Terraces of Moray, Choquequirao, and Salkantay Trail.