Somewhere near the sun, there is a place known as the cradle of the most important civilization that ever existed on earth.

Cusco, the ancient Tawantinsuyu capital, is located up in the Andean mountains, exactly where the legends about the Inca´s Empire birth placed it. Those were times of great journeys and divine magic, as the oral tradition still whispers over the modern shell of this cosmopolitan city today.

Cusco is a city full of history. As the very origin and main city of the Inca´s Empire, all the historic events that shaped this civilization marked a scar on Cusco. Military victories, progress, inventions and new agricultural techniques had a granitic and natural framework to develop here, in close contact with the environment.

Cusco is a city full of human achievement. Every street in Cusco is a reminder of the human wonder. Jewels on stones; walls of huge blocks of granite, solid as time; never ending water flows running through a corridor.  Gold thick necklace; silver threads twisted to resemble a puma or a condor, and thousands of stylish ceramics and crafts, are only a tiny expression of the enormous inheritance of the Inca´s civilization for the world; an example of humanity progress and coexistence, without destroying itself. The conquerors never read this message tattooed on the stones, but their legacy is also part of Cusco History; it´s part of the wise life lesson.

Cusco is a city full of joy and pride. The ancient arts are colorful and ingenious, like the inca looms or the colonial paintings. Despite the conquerors, many of the inca dances, ceremonies and festivities remain intact, or just a little changed by the influence of the foreigners. But people in Cusco know exactly where they come from, who they are and what legacy their ancestors gave to humanity; they are the modern guardians of that richness. That´s why they´re so proud for visitors to come, from every part of the planet, to know Cusco.

Cusco is a city full of magic energy. The energy of Cusco is everywhere. It lies as a giant magnet boxed between the mountains that makes impossible to resist its calling. Once in Cusco, you´ll realize the feeling was true. There were no marketing trick, nothing was overwritten. The emotions are real and that´s why no photo would ever transmit the whole charm of Cusco. The natural environment of Cusco city is a vital part of its magic. Located between mountains at some 3,200 meters of altitude, the weather combines delicately with a great variety of birds, wildlife and topography, from the Sacsayhuaman checkpoint to the cloudy forest of Machu Picchu Sanctuary, on the Sacred Valley.

It´s an experience as a whole, that begins at the very arriving to the Cusco airport. You´ll hopelessly fall in love with the city since the first look through you plane´s window. With the snow covered mountains in the distance, a picture of red bricks roofs, parks and cathedrals will welcome you from below. Then, the magic and kindness of Cusco people will finish the job. You´ll feel it since the first footstep out of your plane.

Once in the hotel, the first walk to the Cusco main square will expand your view. Then it gets wider visiting some incredible sites of Cusco city, like the Temple of Koricancha. Touching its dark perfect rock cubes is an almost mystic experience. Those walls allegedly carry some huge jewels, as big as a fist, as part of the decoration. Some researchers say that a sunbeam passed through those jewels at certain moments of the year, coloring the opposite wall with a spectacular kaleidoscope.

Out in the streets of Cusco, inca blocks are mixed with colonial adobe on the same walls. But most of the times the rocks seems as the bases to the colonial buildings; a clear metaphor of the actual Andean society.

The Cathedral is also a great wonder of the colonial period of Cusco. It is a huge construction from outside, and a beautiful showcase of the colonial art from inside. The most astonishing part is its inner columns, made with parts of some inca temples, destroyed by the conquerors. A golden altar dominates the enormous hall from behind, full of saint images and cedar scrollwork from the soil up to the dome.

A treasure of painting is also displayed here, as in the many other small churches in Cusco. One of them is located in the famous artistic neighborhood of San Blas. A church with the same name keeps a wooden jewel inside it. It’s the famous Pulpit of San Blas, made of a single piece of cedar. It is neatly carved and the work  lasted many years. They represent images of angels and saints.

But Cusco is more than that. Its borders are also full of wonders, like the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Pickillacta, Qenqo and Tambomachay. No tour is enough to fully enjoy them. Many questions will boil on you head at the same time. Just block them and let the magic of Cusco invade your spirit, because you won´t rationally believe what you are about to see.

Cusco is still too far from human understanding. That´s why thousands of travelers return once, twice, or even more.  There is so much to see that the first experience is never enough. It could be the Puca Pucara ruins, or the Santo Domingo Cathedral, or even the Cusco´s amazing nightlife; something is always missing.

But whatever it is, it will be always there, as in the last centuries, waiting for you.

Take a trip to Cusco: you´ll get the journey of your life.