Cusco or Cuzco[d] (Latin American Spanish: [ˈkusko]; Quechua: Qosqo or Qusqu, both pronounced [ˈqosqɔ]) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river.

It has become a major tourist destination, hosting over 2 million visitors a year and providing passage to numerous Incan ruins, such as Machu Picchu, one of the Seven modern wonders of the world and others.

Nineteen years later, on 23 June 1990, the local authorities formalized a new spelling more closely related to Quechua, Qosqo, but later administrations have not followed suit.

The modern design, officially adopted in 1986, features the Sol de Echenique, a golden sun emblem, as the central element, symbolizing the city's connection to its Inca heritage.

Nineteen months later, Spanish explorers invaded the city after kidnapping and murdering Atahualpa (see Battle of Cuzco), and gained control.

The most sumptuous edifice in Cuzco ... was undoubtedly the great temple dedicated to the Sun ... studded with gold plates ... surrounded by convents and dormitories for the priests. ...

The palaces were numerous and the troops lost no time in plundering them of their contents, as well as despoiling the religious edifices," including the royal mummies in the Coricancha.

Throughout the conflict and years of the Spanish colonization of the Americas, many Incas died of smallpox epidemics, as they had no acquired immunity to a disease by then endemic among Europeans.

The Dominican Priory and Church of Santo Domingo, which were built on top of the impressive Qurikancha (Temple of the Sun), were among the affected colonial era buildings.

Restoration work at the Santo Domingo complex exposed the Inca masonry formerly obscured by the superstructure without compromising the integrity of the colonial heritage.

Tourism in the city was drastically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru and the 2022–2023 Peruvian protests, with the latter event costing the area 10 million soles daily.

Winter occurs from April through September, with abundant sunshine and occasional nighttime freezes; July is the coldest month with an average of 9.7 °C (49.5 °F).

Summer occurs from October through March, with warm temperatures and abundant rainfall; November is the warmest month, averaging 13.3 °C (55.9 °F).

After its Spanish foundation, it lost prominence due to Francisco Pizarro's decision to establish the capital of the new territories in the city of Lima because it had close access to the sea and communication with the metropolis.

[45] However, it maintained its status as the main city in southern Peru, although subordinated to the importance that Arequipa was gaining, better connected with the rest of the country.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the socialist leader Daniel Estrada Pérez brought together this political tendency under the banner of the United Left alliance.

The local industry is related to extractive activities and to food and beverage products, such as beer, carbonated waters, coffee, chocolates, among others.

Due to its antiquity and significance, the center of the city preserves many buildings, squares and streets from pre-Columbian times as well as colonial constructions.

One of the characteristics that the Incas achieved with their urban plan in Cusco was the respect for the geographical matrix when building their fabric, since they responded with different design strategies to the rugged topography of the Andean area at 3399 meters above sea level The native language is Quechua, although the city's inhabitants mostly speak Spanish.

Currently, the majority of the population belongs to the Catholic Church, with Cuzco being the archbishopric.As capital to the Inca Empire, Cusco was an important agricultural region.

[54] Fusion and neo-Andean restaurants developed in Cusco, in which the cuisine is prepared with modern techniques and incorporates a blend of traditional Andean and international ingredients.

The local gastronomy presents a diversified array of dishes resulting from the mestizaje and fusion of its pre-Inca, Inca, colonial, and modern traditions.

Less-visited ruins include: Incahuasi, the highest of all Inca sites at 3,980 m (13,060 ft);[61] Vilcabamba, the capital of the Inca after the Spanish capture of Cusco; the sculpture garden at Ñusta Hisp'ana (aka Chuqip'allta, Yuraq Rumi); Tipón, with working water channels in wide terraces; as well as Willkaraqay, Patallaqta, Chuqik'iraw, Moray, Vitcos and many others.

The surrounding area, located in the Watanay Valley, is strong in gold mining and agriculture, including corn, barley, quinoa, tea and coffee.Because of its antiquity and importance, the city center retains many buildings, plazas, streets and churches from colonial times, and even some pre-Columbian structures, which led to its declaration as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

Its cloisters of Baroque Renaissance style, choir stalls, colonial paintings and wood carvings are highlights, now a popular museum.

The city developed a distinctive style of painting known as the "Cuzco School" and the cathedral houses a major collection of local artists of the time.

The cathedral is known for a Cusco School painting of the Last Supper depicting Jesus and the twelve apostles feasting on guinea pig, a traditional Andean delicacy.

It was built over an underground chapel and has a valuable collection of colonial paintings of the Cusco School.The Qurikancha ("golden place") was the most important sanctuary dedicated to the Sun God (Inti) at the time of the Inca Empire.

It is named in honor of Peruvian pilot Alejandro Velasco Astete who was the first person to fly across the Andes in 1925 when he made the first flight from Lima to Cusco.

Additionally, from the San Pedro station, the South East Section of the Southern Railroad (former Cusco-Santa Ana-Quillabamba Railway) departs from the city, which is the route to the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.