City of Cuzco

World Heritage

Peru

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Located in the Peruvian Andes, Cusco developed under the Inca ruler Pachacuti into a complex urban center with distinct religious and administrative functions. It was surrounded by clearly demarcated areas of agricultural, handicraft, and industrial production. When the Spanish conquered it in the 16 century, they retained the basic structure but built Baroque churches and palaces on the ruins of the Inca city.