Cusco

The beautiful cusco that awaits a myriad of wonders and cultural attractions also holder of the citadel of MACHU PICCHU cultural heritage of humanity and heritage left by the Incas, carries great secrets that await to be discovered.

Our city also known as the navel of the world is located in the great valley of the Huatanay River, in the southern part of the Peruvian highlands, its climate is temperate almost all year varying on occasion.

If you want to know more about high Andean Cusquenian customs you can come in the dates of June to July as it celebrates the Inti Raymi or feast of the sun where he honors the sun god, God revered by the Incas.

 To visit Cusco you should take into account some recommendations such as:

• Avoid eating a lot of food, try to consume more liquid between 6 to 8 glasses.
• Rest after the trip to avoid dizziness or altitude sickness, it is advisable to take a coca tea or some lemon or coca candy.
• Practice breathing exercises and consume liquids.
• Wear warm clothes, and avoid heavy clothing.
• Do not separate yourself from the group you come with and do not give personal information to strangers.

History
Cusco Information. The notoriety of archaeological Cusco goes beyond the Inca period, since the history of Cusco began at least 1000 years before the Christian era, when the Marcavalle Culture was in force. From there arose Chanapata, contemporary of Pucara in Puno and whose history is lost at the beginning of our era, until when Wari conquered the area, incorporating it into his empire. After Wari, the region resized its potential and grew, first with the Killke Culture and then with the Inca. From the Wari period comes the City of Pikillacta, and from Killke times the Sacsayhuaman itself and the foundations of the City of Cuzco.

Cuzco, in the past, was the center of the Inca Civilization. It was the capital of the Andean state of Tahuantinsuyo; it was founded, according to legend, by Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo between the XI and XII centuries.

Later, by order of Francisco Pizarro, the Spaniards founded it again in the Spanish style, on March 23, 1534.

Location:
The city of Cusco is located southeast of the city in the Andes of Peru at 13º south latitude and 72º west longitude from the meridian Greenwch.Cusco is the current capital of the province and department of Cusco. ALTITUDE 3360 meters above sea level.

CLIMATE:
There is not much difference between the four seasons, however there are two specific seasons of the year: the rainy season from November to March and the dry season from April October.

Territory:
The territory of Cusco has an extension of 76,225 km and the province of Cusco amounts to 523 km.

Temperature:
In Cusco the annual temperature is 11º to 13º and sometimes 20º C on a sunny day.

Language:
The official language of Peru is Spanish which is used by 73% of the population; the Quechua or Runasimi language is spoken by 24% of Peruvians. Some specialists recognize specific variations of Quechua in the national territory: Huaihuash which is very popular in the central part of Peru and Huampuy spoken by the rest of the country. Most Quechua speakers are bilingual and have Quechua as their second language. The same is true of Aymara, whose language is extinct in the highlands. There are also the 55 dialects spoken in the Amazon by tribes in the Peruvian jungle such as:Ashaninca Aguaruna and the Machigengas.

Religion:
The official religion is Catholic covers 80% of the population with a deep devotion. However there is a freedom of worship, in this country no one is forced to have or believe in something between the people of the Andes and the people of the Amazon practice the Catholic religion mixed with some old traditions such as the worship of the Pachamama (the earth) and natural phenomena.

Currency:
The official currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol and its symbol is S/. It is divided in 100 centimos (cents): with coins valued in S/.5, S/.2, S/1, and pieces of 50, 20,10 cents, the bills in circulation are of S/.10, S/.20, S/.50, S/.100, S/.200, the economy of Peru advances step by step with the American dollar that is why many businesses work with both currencies.

Currency exchange:

The most frequent and common foreign currency is the U.S. dollar most entrance tickets are in dollars. We have many currency exchange houses where you can make your respective money exchanges as well as with the money changers, people who are usually walking on El Sol Avenue.

Travelers checks:

Travelers checks are not widely used as these are a cause of problems in some banks as they drop from your check total by as much as 2 or 5%.

Credit cards:

The most common and accepted cards are: Visa, Dinners, Masterd card and American Express.

Banks:
Generally banks in Peru are open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays and Sundays only until noon.
However in some other cities like Cusco some banks close at noon for lunch time and then reopen them three hours later.

Time:
Peruvian time is located five hours after GMT(Greenwch Meridian) and somewhat similar with EST (Eastern Standard Time) in the USA.

Reference hours:

When in Peru it is noon in Santiago de Chile and Caracas it is 13:00 hrs. In Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires it is 14:00; in New York it is 12:00hrs. In Tokyo it is 03:00 hrs. One day later.