Cuzco-Kent

=**Cuzco**=
 * by Kent Christianson**



Cusco, or commonly spelled Cuzco, is a city located in southeastern Peru. It is a place of historical significance as it was the location of capital of the Inca Empire and is now a World Heritage Site ("City of Cuzco"). The city of Cuzco was the center of the Inca Empire and its expansion and it was a sacred place for the Incas. According to the site, Lonely Planet, "Legend tells that in the 12th century, the first //inca//, Manco Capac, was charged by Inti, the ancestral sun god, to find the navel of the earth (//qosq’o// in the Quechua language) –the spot where he could plunge a golden rod into the ground until it disappeared" ("History of Cuzco") and such location was Cuzco. Cuzco was the sacred "navel" of the Inca Empire and was the focal point of their culture and land. During the 15th century, the Inca Empire expanded its territories and conquered neighboring tribes and became a powerful nation during this era. However, the arrival of the conquistadores from Spain brought a great change to the Inca Empire. On November 15, 1533, the first spaniards arrived in Cuzco and attempted to bring the empire under Spanish control. After certain conflicts, the Spanish prevailed and in 1572, the last Inca emperor, Túpac Amaru, was executed ("Cuzco History"). After the Spanish conquest, the city of Cuzco was taken down and rebuilt as a colonial city. However, there are still remnants of the Inca Empire in Cuzco, and, according to UNESCO, the Spanish "limited themselves to the destruction of the principal edifices charged with political and religious symbolism, and constructed new monuments, aggressively Catholic and Spanish, on the admirable cyclopean masonry of the demolished walls of these buildings" ("City of Cuzco"). Though many building in the city look colonial and of western influence, the foundations and layout of the city are based on the Inca's work. Currently, Cuzco is a popular location for tourism due to the city's rich culture and its proximity to Machu Pichu.

Works Cited "About Cusco: History of Cusco." //About Cusco//. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan 2011. "City of Cuzco." //UNESCO World Heritage Centre//. UNESCO, n.d. Web. 6 Jan 2011. "Cusco- Qosqo ." //Go 2 Peru//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan 2011. "Cuzco History." //Amazing Peru//. Amazing Peru, n.d. Web. 8 Jan 2011. "History of Cuzco." //Lonely Planet//. Lonely Planet, n.d. Web. 6 Jan 2011. Vidal, Carlos. "Cusco in History and its Message ." //cusco.net//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Jan 2011.