Cusco -- Two Cities in One

Cusco, at about 11,000 feet, was the capital of the Inca Empire. When the Europeans came, they took Cusco as their own and built a city on top of the Inca City, and it was one of the richest cities in the Western Hemisphere for hundreds of years. Now it hosts thousands of tourists from all over the globe. Walking around Cusco, you can see evidence of the old Inca City in many of todays buildings.

The streets of central Cucso mostly look like this -- small, with ancient Inca walls, which you see here lining the stairs.

My friend Dora, from Peru, said for many Peruvians it is painful to see walls like this, because the European building on top of Inca walls is a symbol of imperialism and dominance.

This is my hotel. The wall is Inca.



This is a 5 star Hotel in the center of Cusco. It's Inca wall is a fine example of Inca arcitecture. The Inca had a complex method of rolling large - oh more than 10 ton -- stones into Cucso from 100 kilometers away.

Inca Temple of the Sun

Plaza de Armas