Cusco

Cusco exemplifies the rise and fall of civilizations: with ancient Incan culture rooted in the ground, it became a foundation (literally) for Spanish colonialism, which in turn made room for the complex urban growth we see today. For the Inca, Cusco was a holy city, a capital connecting the roads of all cities in the empire. When the Spanish conquistadors defeated the Incan armies at Sacsayhuamán, they found much of the architecture too well-constructed to destroy, so they built over it. Sprawling out from the Plaza de Armas, Incan and colonial history now exist together. Watch people weave wool for the market the same way their ancestors did. Enter the Convent of Santo Domingo to discover masterful stonework from the Temple of the Sun. Come to the plaza in June and be met with a massive crowd celebrating Inti Rayma, the Inca Festival of the Sun. The more time you spend in Cusco and the surrounding regions, the more you peel back the deep layers of history.