At an altitude of 3,400 metres, Cusco lies in a fertile alluvial valley fed by several rivers, in the heart of the central Peruvian Andes. This geographical setting provides the city’s backdrop; its cultural profile is reflected in the blend of Inca and Hispanic history. UNESCO describes Cusco as an exceptional example of this blend, expressed in a distinctive urban structure and architectural form. This gives you two aspects to consider when planning your trip: the city’s historic layout and specific architectural or collection highlights.
Urban Structure and Cultural Layers
Cusco preserves the urban structure of the imperial Inca city. After the Spanish conquest, temples, monasteries and mansions were built over the Inca city. The historic centre preserves traces of the Inca Empire and combines the Andean worldview with Hispanic heritage. Its distinctive character therefore lies not only in individual buildings: the urban structure itself also embodies the blending of these cultural influences. This is the right perspective if you would rather focus on the historic cityscape than on a single collection.
Buildings Between History and Present-Day Use
The Palacio Arzobispal illustrates these layers in a single building: the viceregal-era building, shaped by Arab influences, was constructed on the foundations of the palace of Inca Roca. Today, it houses the Museo de Arte Religioso. The predecessor building, its later architectural form and its present-day use as a museum bring together three different historical associations. If architecture is your main interest, this offers a different perspective from an overview of the urban structure.
The Museo y Convento de Santa Catalina also links a building with the history of its site. It was built in 1605 on the former Acllahuasi, the House of the Chosen Women. The exhibitions include paintings, textiles, wood carvings and colonial altarpieces. In this way, a historic predecessor site sits alongside several types of art and objects. This distinction is useful when choosing a focus: here, you can explore the history of the building site alongside a varied exhibition.
Collections with Different Focuses
Cusco Cathedral houses an important collection of paintings from the Cusco School, as well as objects in repoussé silver. Compared with the exhibitions at Santa Catalina, the emphasis here is on paintings from the Cusco School and silverwork; Santa Catalina’s exhibition covers several groups of materials and objects. The two focuses are distinct and can be considered separately if you are interested in Cusco’s art collections.
When choosing your cultural interests, you can therefore consider three questions: Are you interested in the preserved urban structure, a single building and its construction history, or the contents of collections? The places mentioned offer different focuses. This allows you to give different weight to the cityscape, architecture and art collections according to your interests.
Discover more destinations: Sicuani, Lamay, Quillabamba, Ollantaytambo, Soray, San Pedro, Colcapampa, Ocongate
For the broader travel overview: Cuzco.
