The current Plaza de Armas corresponded to the administrative and political center of the Inca empire. Before it was a swampy area that the incas worked and transformed in the XII century, raising in time the palaces on which Huayna Cápac and Pachacútec lived between other leaders.
The Spanish conquest transformed these spaces, rising over them churches and mansions, some of them important tourist destinations today, like the Church of the Company or the Cathedral.
In spite of this, many of these constructions walls are conserved since the urban development Inca. The Plaza de Armas is the main current tourist center city of Cusco, in addition to the restaurants, nightclubs, bars, souvenir and crafts shops that visitors can walk around in the imperial city, and it is used for important festivities as the Corpus Christi procession.
Useful tips
- From the restaurants, located in the upper parts of the houses, can be appreciated beautiful views of the Plaza.
- The best tour of Cusco is done walking around the Plaza de Armas, there are the main tourist destinations in the city.
