When I first arrived in Cusco, I was intrigued by what was formerly the capital of the Inca empire. Even a challenging mountainous terrain at 11152 feet above sea level (twice the elevation of Denver) could not stop the Inca from building in this remote location! This is very fascinating to me as when it comes to architecture, I have only been exposed to modern big cities which are built on low, flat terrain. Modern civilization would never attempt to build a big city here.
The Inca had different priorities when it came to building their capital. They appreciated its location in the mountains as a strategic position in the Andes to observe any attack, and its ability to be well defended. It was also positioned as the geographic center of their empire.
When the Inca fell by the hands of the Spanish, the capital of newly created Peru was no longer Cusco but now Lima. It’s obvious why Cusco couldn’t be the capital of modern-day Peru. First of all, it was inaccessible to maritime trade routes, and this made communication with Spain and other countries complicated. Secondly, the uneven terrain and surrounding mountains made it hard for the city to expand. Two very important factors to the Spanish in serving as the administrative center of the colony.
Nowadays, the city relies almost entirely on tourism to power its economy, using its Inca foundations to attract tourists (literally and figuratively). The Inca structures are maintained not just in honor of the previous inhabitants but also to make the city more appealing.
As a UNESCO world heritage site, any modification of existing structures is very strict. Due to these regulations, you are not allowed to build above a certain height and need to explain exactly how you are going to approach renovations of an older building; all of this is not very conducive to development as it keeps the city in its current state.
Cusco, once the center of an empire now only holds a sliver of the glory it once did. It has now been relegated to a stop on the way to Machu Picchu and a live museum displaying remnants of Incan architecture compared to a bustling powerful metropole.
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