CUZCO, THE MYSTICAL CITY OF THE INCAS.

Cuzco is a majestic and ancient city located on the South East of Peru, and in the Eastern End of the Knot of Cuzco, near the Andes Mountains, at an elevation of around 3,400 m (11,200 ft), near the Ur-ubamba Valley. The Valley encompassed the heartland of the Inca Empire.
The Valley was formed by the Ur-ubamba River, also known as Vilcanota River in the Aymara language meaning "House of the Sun." The Valley is fed by numerous Rivers which descend through adjoining Valleys and Gorges. The Valley was very appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities.
The word "Cuzco" is derived from the Quechua word "Qusquwanka" meaning "Rock of the Owl."Also, the city is known as the "City of the Solar Puma."
Cuzco was inhabited by the Killke people sometime around 900-1200 before the Incas arrived. It then became the capital of the Inca Empire.
The sacred center of Cuzco was conceived as a stylized sacred puma. Designed by Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (after Cuzco was destroyed in a war with the Chanca), the head of the puma is represented by the mighty fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the heart by the main square of Huacaypata and the tail, the Pumaq Chupen ("Tail of the Puma"), by the convergence of the Huatanay and Tullumayo Rivers.
Cuzco represented the Center of the Inca Universe. More than 300 of the most important Huacas (power source) in the area around Cuzco were conceived of as lying along 41 ceke lines (line of living energy running through the earth). These lines radiated outward from the Coricancha, the principal Temple of Incan state religion, and extended to the horizon or beyond. Cekes helped to coordinate social relations among people, as well as to organize sacred space.
Later in 1533, the city was taken by the Spaniards. They were astounded by the beauty of the city and the delicacy of its excellent stonework. But what really caught their attention was the great Temple dedicated to the Sun, with its gleaming golden plates. The Spaniards however, destroyed many of the inca temples and palaces, leaving only the walls to serve as a base for their new edifices. This created the unique mixture of Incan and Spanish architecture we see today.
Cuzco became the center for Spanish colonization in the Andes. Along with the spread of Christianity throughout the region.
On May 21, 1950, Cuzco was hit with a major earthquake, resulting in substantial damage to the colonial-era buildings 250 to 350 years old, particularly the Dominican Priory and Church of Santo Domingo. It occurred without warning of foreshocks and was followed by only a few weak aftershocks. Many of the buildings that were destroyed in this earthquake had previously been damaged during  the 1941 earthquake. Surprisingly, the Incan architecture withstood both earthquakes.