City tour of Cusco

Starts: 9:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.
Ends: 2:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.

• INCLUDES:
• English speaking guides
• Transportation
• NOT INCLUDED:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Tourist Ticket
• Coricancha Entrance

Coricancha, from the Quechua words “Quri” (gold) and “Kancha” (enclosure or temple), known as the “Golden Enclosure,” was the most significant temple during the Inca Empire. It was commissioned by the Inca Pachacutec, who initiated the empire’s expansion. The temple was constructed using high-quality stonework—green diorite, red and gray andesite—and decorated with massive gold-plated walls and elaborate gold and silver artifacts, serving as a central political-religious site. A unique system of imaginary lines, known as “ceques,” was used to design this center of power and extend its influence.
The ceques consisted of forty-one radial lines originating from the Golden Enclosure, organizing religious worship and urban planning across the region, with over three hundred sacred sites (huacas) extending beyond a ten-kilometer radius. These huacas, often water sources, hills, or other sacred places, were sites of astronomical observation. A priesthood of guardians at Coricancha documented and interpreted this celestial information to guide rituals, offerings, and the timing of ceremonies, effectively creating a state government influenced by cosmic movements.
Coricancha was perhaps the most iconic structure of the Inca era, containing small temples dedicated to various deities. After the Spanish conquest, much of it was destroyed to build the Santo Domingo convent in 1540, though parts of the original architecture remain. Built on a small hill to avoid the swampy terrain of ancient Cusco and to be closer to their deity, the Sun, Coricancha features carved terraces adorned with life-sized representations of native plants like quinoa, potatoes, and corn, as well as fountains for ceremonial use.
Within Coricancha, temples dedicated to the rainbow, thunder, moon, and stars reflect the diverse Inca pantheon. The temple aligns with significant solar events such as the sunrise on June 21 and the solstice on December 22. A sacred trapezoidal doorway between the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Stars mirrors the sun’s path. At the heart of Coricancha lies a square where water ceremonies were performed around a stone basin crafted by indigenous artisans. In the room dedicated to the Sun, a pure gold statue of the supreme god was said to shine upon the city on sacred days.
Coricancha’s architecture, where each stone was meticulously placed without mortar, symbolized the unity and shared vision that characterized Inca society. It remains one of the most stunning temples from the Inca period.

2 kilometers from Cusco, on top of a mountain, rises Sacsaywaman, at a height that dominates the entire city. The complex was built by the Incas in the 15th century, particularly under Pachacuti and his successors. Workers carefully cut the boulders to fit tightly without mortar. The site is at an altitude of 3,701 m (12,142 ft). The long zigzagging walls of more than 300 meters, which border its 3 levels of terraces, are built with huge stone monoliths, some of which are more than 9 meters high and their weight is estimated at more than 100 tons. These huge monoliths are perfectly nested next to each other and, even more surprising, one on top of the other. Added to the power and majesty that this megalithic Inca building transmits is the enigma of its construction.
According to the chroniclers, Cusco was designed following the representation of a puma. Sacsaywaman, “satisfied puma” in Quechua, was the head of the sacred animal and the highest expression of the hanan sector (high Cusco), where public ceremonies were held. Surrounded by the apus (sacred mountains) Pachatusan, Ausangate, and Cinca. It was made up of terraces, cemeteries, shrines, ritual fountains, artificial lagoons, tanks, slides or rollers, astronomical observatories and underground passages, according to the legends of the locals, leading to the Qoricancha, which would come to be the belly or genitals of the puma. In 1983, Cusco and Sacsayhuamán together were designated as sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, for international recognition and protection.

Kenko or Qenqo, in Quechua Q’inqu (‘labyrinth’) is an archaeological center located 2 km from the city of Cuzco, in Peru at 3,580 meters above sea level. These are not exactly ruins, because Qenqo is one of the best examples of that Inca seal: the great rock carved in situ. It is an eroded limestone outcrop, full of fissures, all cleverly carved to utilize the natural shape of the rock. To the north we find an amphitheater with 19 niches built around the base, all that remains of a high wall centered on a tall rock. Perhaps it was a phallic symbol or a seated puma (the conquerors erased its original form) and it was evidently the focus of some religious cult. Qenqo was a Waca, a sanctuary. Inside its caves we find large niches and what looks like an altar. The first chroniclers mention caves around the city where the mummies of the lesser royalty were kept in niches along with gold and precious objects. This was almost certainly one of them.
Some stone steps lead to the top of the rock, where there are more enigmatic carvings: the zig-zag channels (p’aqchas) that give the place its name, which were used to carry chicha, or perhaps sacrificial blood, for purposes divination; and a pair of thick studs, reminiscent of bollards used to tie up an unfamiliar ship. To the left (west) of these studs, on the edge of the outcrop, look for the carved figure of a cougar and a now headless bird, perhaps a condor. Towards the eastern edge of the rock stands a foot-tall carved house. At the end of this immense rock, there are several pieces that were used in astronomy activities that calculated the next feast of the sun. They were facing the direction of sunrise. Qenqo chico, the Qenqo outcrop is also heavily carved at the top and is surrounded by a thin retaining wall.

The archaeological group of Pukapukara is located 7 km away. From the city of Cusco at an altitude of 3,580 meters above sea level and it is on the paved road that leads to Pisaq. Pukapukara means Red Fortress; The strength comes from the location of the group and the existence of a semicircular environment; and it is red because of the color of the earth in the place. The name was given to it in the present century. Most likely, Pukapukara was a Tambo rather than a fortress, a kind of post where travelers stayed and merchandise, animals, etc. were temporarily housed.
Towards the western side of the complex there is the facade of the architectural complex, on a free area like a small square, on the opposite side of the building it rises to a considerable height from the floor due to the unevenness of the terrain. Its location is always optimally convenient, it dominates a large territory and there was clearly communication with the Tambomachay tower, which is one km away. In Pukapukara there are enclosures, interior squares, baths, aqueducts, watchtowers and an easily recognizable old road. The buildings are made of medium to small stones, the external surface of the polyhedra is slightly rough unlike other architectural groups. The urban layout is extremely adequate and functional.

Tambomachay is 8 kilometers from the city of Cusco, one kilometer from Pukapukara, at 3,700 m.s.m.m. Tambo corresponds to collective accommodation with everything necessary to house many people who will live for a short time. Machay means resting place more or less. The name comes from the incan. This place is popularly called the “Inca Bath”. It is a fairly well preserved example of a site for ritual baths and perhaps a water cult. We know that the Incas revered water as one of the main elements of life and practiced devotional ablutions frequently. Here, where a spring emerges from the hillside, the Incas built a series of three waterfalls, channeling them painstakingly through fine stone courses. Certainly the site was less bare and desolate in times past than it is today. It was probably surrounded by trees, shrubs, and ornamental gardens. Note an element of mystery in the location of the spring itself. The slope behind it is simply not high or large enough to provide that much water, it is supposed to enter underground from the opposite mountain, through a natural U-shaped conduit.
As its name implies, this place was a resting area for the Inca. There, he would go hunting for pleasure, as deer were common in the surrounding areas. The Inca asked them to bring water from this fountain to the city, to drink it for its healing qualities and because it was said that it was also a fountain of youth. The set is preceded by a solid wall made of large well-fitted stones with a somewhat rough surface. In front of the main building, on the eastern side of the complex, there is a tower with a circular plan, unfortunately it is incomplete in its upper portion, due to its location, whoever sees it, categorically believes that it had defense and communication purposes.