Did You Know There’s An Imperial City in Peru?

And it’s not Machu Picchu!

Cusco, Peru sitting at 3400 meters above sea level

Cusco: The Imperial City!
Peru, the South American country geographically resembling the state of California, has essentially become synonymous with the architectural wonder of Machu Picchu. However, many may be unaware that in order to get to Machu Picchu, one must first travel to the Imperial City of Cusco (sometimes spelled Cuzco to honor the native Quechuan language). Much less a mandate and more of a pleasant surprise, Cusco immediately captivated my senses with its rich Inca culture, delicious food, and majestic architecture. What didn’t steal my heart? The altitude sickness. Let’s start there.

Myself and a Cusquenan pan-flute musician. This was shortly before my altitude sickness set in. Photo credit: Kesley Howard.

Cusco Will Take Your Breath Away…Literally and Figuratively
From the 13th to 16th century, Cusco, Peru was the capital of the Inca empire; forever cementing it as Peru’s Imperial City. The city itself is shaped like a puma — an animal in the Inca culture with great religious significance and thought to embody earth and power. Cusco sits at an elevation of 3400 m above sea level; that’s 11,200 ft for us non-metric using Americans! Elevations this high are notorious for causing altitude sickness — a syndrome that occurs at…