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In Quechuan, the language of the native people of the Andes, Cusco means, "navel of the world". For most visitors, Cusco is the gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Located at the rather lofty altitude of 11,200 ft. (3400 m), Cusco was the capital and geographic center of the Inca Empire. According to Inca legend, the city was built by the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Many scholars believe that the city was built as an effigy in the shape of a puma or mountain lion.

The Spanish conquistadors first arrived in Cusco on November 15, 1533. Francisco Pizarro arrived in March 1534, and renamed it the "Very noble and great city of Cusco" and claimed it for the king of Spain. The Incas under the leadership of Manco Inca Yupanqui briefly retook the city from the Spanish during the Siege of Cusco in 1536. The Spaniards retook the city several days later and never relinquished it or control of the Sacred Valley. The Spanish demolished many Inca...