World Heritage Identification Number: 273
World Heritage since: 1983
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Historic Cities & Urban Areas
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇵🇪 Peru
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
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The City of Cuzco: A Blend of Ancient Incan and Colonial Architecture
The City of Cuzco, located in the Peruvian Andes, stands as a testament to the rich history and cultural diversity of South America. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, this ancient city offers a unique blend of Incan and colonial architecture that reflects its tumultuous past and enduring spirit.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Situated in the Peruvian Andes, Cuzco developed, under the Inca ruler Pachacutec, into a complex urban centre with distinct religious and administrative functions. It was surrounded by clearly delineated areas for agricultural, artisan and industrial production. When the Spaniards conquered it in the 16th century, they preserved the basic structure but built Baroque churches and palaces over the ruins of the Inca city.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The City of Cuzco is a unique testimony of the ancient Inca civilization, heart of Tawantinsuyu imperial government, which exercised political, religious and administrative control over much of the South American Andes between the 15th and 16th centuries. The city represents the sum of 3,000 years of indigenous and autonomous cultural development in the Peruvian southern Andes.
Criterion (iv) : The City of Cuzco provides a unique testimony to the urban and architectural achievements of important political, economic and cultural settlements during the pre-Columbian era in South America. It is a representative and exceptional example of the confluence of two distinct cultures; Inca and Hispanic, which through the centuries produced an outstanding cultural syncretism and configured a unique urban structure and architectural form.
Encyclopedia Record: Cusco
Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range, and the Huatanay and Urubamba rivers. It is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Cusco Province and Cusco Department. It has historically been one of the largest cultural, economic and political centers of Peru.Additional Site Details
Area: 142.48 hectares
Number of Components: 4
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: -13.517276 , -71.980004
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© W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
