The centre of Cusco and the surrounding areas are a fascinating symbiosis of the original Inca architecture and the later Spanish Colonial additions.   Intricately carved Colonial cedar balconies can be seen supported by Inca foundations showing the amazing craftsmanship of the Inca stonemasons.   A short exploration of the narrow cobbled streets is like a walk through a living museum.

Close to Cusco is the huge complex of Inca sites including Qenqo, Puca Pucara Tambomachay and  Sacsayhuaman – site of one of the most important battles between the Inca and the Spanish Conquistadores.  Sacsayhuaman is the location of one of the most important festivals in Peru,  Inti Raymi in June each year.

 

A train ride through the spectacular scenery of the Sacred Valley brings us to Machu Picchu - the “Lost City of the Incas” with Inca stonework unrivalled anywhere in the world.  This World Heritage Site, never found by the Conquistadores and forgotten even by the Incas themselves was discovered underneath dense jungle growth by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. 

The unbelievably detailed masonry of these mysterious ruins displays the amazing skill of Inca stonemasons.  To this day no one is completely sure why the city was built and then abandoned,  various scholars have their own theories but this jewel in the crown of Inca architecture remains as enigmatic as the day it was discovered