Cusco - is the capital of the Great Inca Empire. Peru. Куско - Столица Великой Империи Инков. Перу
The text of the video. We are going to the capital of the great Inca Empire.This city was the capital of the great Inca Empire for 200 years.This is one of the oldest and strangest cities in the world - archaeological excavations indicate that the first settlement on this site appeared about 3000 years ago.They did not know other countries, they did not sail across the seas, their land was the whole world for them, and their city was the center of this world.The Incas divided the territory of their empire into four cardinal directions - in the center of which was their capital!!!We're in Cusco. The capital of the great Inca Empire.Cusco is a beautiful city with well-preserved buildings and structures that are proof of the rich history of this ancient city.Cusco is the center of Quechua indigenous culture in the Andes. Traces of the past can be seen just walking around the city.Spanish colonial buildings attract tourists, allowing them to go back hundreds of years, to visit the territory of Sacsahuaman, where in 1536 Pizarro's army opposed the Incas.The city is located at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters above sea level, and altitude sickness can become a real problem.Everywhere, except the equator, at such heights there is snow, glaciers, stunted grass. And in Cuzco, gardens are blooming, three crops of potatoes, corn, barley and tomatoes are harvested per year. But there is as little oxygen in the air as there is everywhere at such altitudes. Residents of Cusco, having been born here, cannot go lower without serious health consequences. The locals themselves say: "Our blood is thick, we can't live down there."The current Cusco is significantly different from the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, where the nobility, priests and their servants lived 500 years ago. Before the Spanish invasion, the population of Cusco was about 15 thousand people, and communication with other areas was maintained with the help of chaskis - long-distance runners who transmitted news and messages from the four parts of Tauantinsuyu to the capital.Now it is a modern city with a population of 140 thousand people, surrounded by mountains.The spirit of both civilizations is felt here - both American and European. Many significant buildings from the time of the Spanish rule were built on the site of religious buildings of the Indians or the houses of their rulers. It is as if you are walking through the Inca city and the capital of the Spanish colony at the same time.The city plan is also interesting: It is believed that ancient Cusco was planned in the form of a puma - one of the three Inca sacred animals, and the central square with the surrounding palaces were located as if in the region of the heart, and the head and concurrently the upper part of the city was occupied by the fortress of Saxauayman.Plaza de Armas or Armory Square is the central square of the city of Cusco, built by the Spaniards on the site of the ancient cult center of Huacaipata. Before the arrival of the Indians here, the territory of the present city was a swampy place between two rivers, safe, but not suitable for life. The Incas drained the swamps and began to lay the city, centered on the Plaza de Armas.Since the Plaza de Armas is central, all the main attractions are located around it. Namely, the Cathedral and the Jesuit Church of the Compania de Xyesus.On the right, the ascetic church of Del Triumfo is sheltered. It is the very first Christian church in Cusco.To the left of the Cathedral adjoins the Church of the Holy Family, the construction of which began in 1723.It was on this square that Tupac Amaru II, the leader of the indigenous uprising against the Spanish colonial authorities, who took the name of the last ruler of the Inca Empire, was executed in 1781.In the center of the Plaza de Armas there is a fountain with the figure of Pachacuteca, the ninth ruler of the Inca Empire.Plaza de Armas, in the city of Cusco, embodies the life of the inhabitants and sets the rhythm of life. Surrounded by houses of traditional Spanish construction, a cathedral, churches, it has been the center of attraction of local residents for more than one hundred years, and in modern times – tourists.In the city and its surroundings, you can see the sights of the Inca civilization and go to unusual museums. Inca Museum, Coca Museum and Chocolate Museum.From the holy places, excursions to the ruins of Piquillacta, Tambomachay, the Coricancha Temple, the Church of San Pedro de Andahuailillas and the Statue of Christ on the hill near Sacsayhuaman are recommended.