Language study abroadCuzco
Language course in Cuzco:
CAPITAL OF THE INCAS
The ancient Inca capital takes its visitors on a journey into the distant past. Here one finds testimony to the momentous history of the Inca Empire. Cathedrals, churches, Inca ruins and many other sites, as well as the fantastic scenery in the Andes, make Cuzco a magic and attractive destination. The city today has some 320 000 inhabitants and is the tourist centre of Peru. It was included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1983. Cuzco lies in a mountain valley, some 3500 metres above sea level, at the confluence of the Chunchullmayo, Tullumayo and Huatanay rivers. When the Inca arrived in this valley in the 10th or 11th century, Cuzco was no more than a small village. Its expansion and conversion to the capital began under the Inca Pachacuti and was continued and completed in the reign of his son Tupac Yupanqui.
ARRIVAL OF THE SPANIARDS
When Francisco Pizarro captured Cuzco with little fighting on November 15, 1533, the city was still resplendent in its ancient glory. Spanish chroniclers were able to describe how Cuzco looked at that time. It was not until the siege of Cuzco in 1536 by the Inca Manco, who was placed on the throne by the Spaniards and later rebelled, that almost all the buildings were burned to the ground. Even today, the remnants of Inca architecture are visible in Cuzco, as the modern city was built on Inca foundations.
