Cusco was the capital of Inca Empire. According to Inca legend, the city was founded by Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, children of the Sun god, that emerged from Lake Titicaca and walked all the way to Cusco to found the capital city of what would be the Inca Empire. Historical evidence though points that Cusco was built by Pachacutec, the man who transformed the Kingdom of Cusco from a sleepy city-state into the vast Inca Empire of Tahuantinsuyu.
The Spanish conquering forces officially settled in Cusco in 1535, and their buildings were juxtaposed atop the massive stone walls that served as the base for Inca constructions.
Our first stop will be the Korikancha Palace, the most important temple in the Inca Empire and dedicated to Inti, the Sun God. The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold - Spanish reports tell of an opulence that was 'fabulous beyond belief'. The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the site, using the ruined foundations of the temple that was flattened by the Spanish in the 17th century, and is a fine example of where Inca stonework has been incorporated into the structure of a colonial building.

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