Cusco History
The Watanay Valley (the place where the Cusco is located) was part of a gigantic glacial lake the “Ballivian Lake”, which covered all the southern zone of Peru. Therefore this land is very fertile. Because of it, the first inhabitants chose this wonderful territory to live. The first nomadic tribes of shepherds arrived to this land 10000 years ago.
The first cultures that developed in this valley were the Marcavalle and the Chanapata . These ancient societies had a profound control of the agriculture and the ecology, which were based in the solidarity and the respect to the Earth.
Between V and VIII centuries, the Wari one of the most important Peruvian cultures before the Incas dominated this zone. The Wari built the city of Pikillaqta a great city of stone located to 30 Km far Cusco city, which one of the most important Pre-Incan archeological centers in Peru.
The first Incas arrived to Cusco around XII century. There are two myths that explain the origin of the Inca people. The first is the myth of “Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo”, this myth says that these mythological personages surface of the Titicaca Lake in Puno. They were sent to earth by their father “the Sun” to bring culture to the barbarous world. From the Lake, they began a slow quest (around 500 Km if they took the shortest route over the Raya pass) which ended in a valley far to the north, at the spot where Manco Capac probed with his golden staff, and it disappeared into the ground, in the Huanacaure hill. They founded their civilization in this place, the actual City of Cusco.
Another myth of the Inca origins, concerns to the four Ayar brother and their wives. They emerged from caves of the Tamputoco hill in the Paruro province at south of Cusco. One of the brothers, Ayar Cachi, was so violent and wild that he destroyed entire mountains with his sling-shots. For safety’s sake the rest of the family lured him back into his cave and entombed him there.
There, he remains to this day, causing occasional earthquakes with his struggles. Of the remaining brothers, one grew wings and flew off into the sun, another turned into stone on the mountain of Huanacaure, which became one of the most sacred Inca Apus (former Andean Gods), and the last, Ayar Manco (Manco Capac) inherited all the wives and reached Cusco to found the Inca Empire.
The most important Inca was the great Pachacuteq, whose name means "he who moves the Earth". After the escape of Wiracocha, his father; Pachacuteq conquered to the “Chancas” (inhabitants of the actual Apurimac region) who were the main enemies of the Incas. During his reign the Tahuantinsuyo (the original name of the great Inca Empire) began its expansion. Pachacuteq was a great statesman and architect; he organized all the empire and built the main Inca cities and monuments like Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Tipon or the Qoricancha.
But, the son of Pachacuteq, Tupac Inca Yupanqui was who made the main conquests. During its reign the Empire covered all the actual Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentine. The empire reached its major splendor during the reign of Huayna Capac the son of Tupac Inca Yupanqui in the XV century. The Incas built their amazing Empire only during 100 years between the reign of Pachacuteq and the reign of Huayna Capac.
Later the empire was divided by a civil war amongst Huascar and Atahuallpa, both sons of Huayna Capac. During this war occurred the arrival of the Spanish invaders who sacked and destroyed the Cusco. In 1536 Manco Inca began a long and bloody war against the Spanish invaders having a siege of 8 months over the city. Finally in 1572, after a war that lasted 36 years, Tupac Amaru I, the last king of the Incan dynasty was defeated, captured and executed cutting his head off in the Huacaypata (the main square of Cusco).
In 1650 the city was seriously affected by a violent earthquake that destroyed almost every colonial building. The history says that this earthquake stopped only when the “Señor de los Temblores” (the Christ of the earthquakes) leaved to the streets; since this date the “Señor de los Temblores” is the Patron of the city. Later in 1780 the city was again scene of a social-quake: the Tupac Amaru II rebellion, one of the most important rebellions in America. He fought for the Peruvian emancipation but unfortunately was betrayed, defeated and then killed as well as his whole family and followers in the “Huacaypata”.
In 1821 Peru got finally its independence from Spain thanks to the Argentine general “Jose de San Martin”. In 1933 the 25th Congress of Americanists in “Ciudad de la Plata”, Argentina, declared Cusco City as the "Archaeological Capital of South America". In 1950 another great earthquake of 7° in the Mercalli scale, shacked the city destroying 75% of the buildings. In 1978 the 7th Convention of Mayors of the World Great Cities, performed in Milan, Italy, declared Cusco as “Cultural Heritage of the World". In Paris, on December 9, 1983, the UNESCO declared Cusco as “Cultural Patrimony of Humanity".
In 1990s, the city was embellished during the municipal government of the mayor and famous Cusqueño leader Daniel Estrada Perez who constructed many new monuments and beautiful water fonts like the monument in honor to Pachacuteq, the Pumaqchupan font, etc. It was also during this time that the Qoricancha was recuperate and restored.
Today, Cusco is the capital of the region of the same name and the Historical Capital of Peru, according the Peruvian Constitution. Besides, now Cusco is the main tourist destine of the country and one of the most important cities in Latin America. It is the symbol of the Peruvian Culture and the greatness of the Andean man.
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