Cuzco Above: two locals, two Lamas and me (I'm the one in the middle, stupid!) Spending a fortune trying to make it to the belly button of the earth may seem a little bizarre, yet each year thousands of globetrotters do exactly that, coming to the Andean city of Cuzco. While Lima may still be the nation's administrative and political capital, Peru's capital of culture and tourism is without a doubt the city of Cuzco. Located some 3,360 m above sea level in the heart of the Andes, Cuzco was the capital of the ancient Incan Empire for some 400 years. Cuzco is now a bustling lively town brimming with culture and attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world each year. It is also the city itself that draws these globetrotters but its surrounding environs contain a wealth of explorations. Cuzco is the portal to many of the countries most popular destinations, including the ancient Incan cities of Machu Picchu, Pisac and Ollantaytambo - as well as the starting point to one of the most popular treks in the world - the Inca Trail, which takes the walker straight through the heart of the mesmerizing Sacred Valley. Three milestones in Cuzco's history allow us to trace how the city got to where it is today. The first event was the founding of the city itself. Incan legend has it that Manco Capac, the first Inca and the son of the sun himself penetrated a spear into the ground having found qosq'o, or "the world's naval". The rather humble Incan tribe lived in the Sacred Valley for some three hundred years after that. It was not until the ninth Inca, Pachacutec - in the middle of the 15th century began the tribes expansion which, with the help of his two successors, Tupac Yuqanqui and Huayna Capac went on to become the largest Empire in western hemisphere - with Cuzco being it's capital. Right: the view of the Plaza De Armas from the Church of San Cristibol The second pivotal event to have changed the history, as well as landscape of the city for an eternity was the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Led by Francisco Pizarro and his diminutive army the Spaniards were incredibly able to mercilessly slaughter the Incas and conquer both their empire and capital city. With the Incas caught in the midst of a baneful civil war, they were unable to resist the Spanish weapons and just like the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan - fell sensationally to the Spanish. As the Incas worshipped the sun, they were e a mountainous culture with the Andes as their hearth. It was also customary for their rulers and wealthy to live at the top of the mountains where they could be closer to the sun, and therefore the gods. The Spaniards changed both of these customs. Being a seafaring people needing to keep a close amount of communication with the crown in Madrid, Pizarro founded the port city of Lima as his new capital city. The Spanish also began reversing the unique geographic social hierarchal order of Incan cities by relocating the wealthy ruling class to lower altitudes where weather conditions are less extreme while the poorer working class were forced to move up. Above: A traditional Sunday fiesta in Cuzco's Plaza De Armas Lima remained the nations capital even after Peruvian independence in 1820 and still does to this day. After the conquest; Cuzco continued as a pretty yet sleepy colonial town, having lost its significance as a capital city. Few events that occurred in the city within the last 500 years (with the exception of the conquest) have changed the landscape of the city as dramatically as the finding of Machu Picchu in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. With one of the world's most fascinating archeological monuments only a train ride, or an enthralling four day hike away, Cuzco has since been transformed into one of the continents most prominent tourist hubs. A rekindled passion for their Incan heritage by many of the locals has made the city a colorful and vibrant place where the ancient Incan language of Quechua can still be heard. Now thousands of visitors flock annually to Cuzco as the city also boasts several distinguished festivals, such as the Init Raymi - a reduplication of the Incan festival of the sun. Above: Two ladies at the Pisac market After lengthy layovers in both El Salvador and Costa Rica, I finally landed in Lima on TACA airlines late at night on Friday, August 16th. With my flight to Cuzco due very early the next day, I decided it was best to kip it at the airport. This actually turned out to be quite a good place to meet other travelers doing the same thing and I was fortunate to run into six guys from Santa Cruz who I wound up traveling with for the first couple of days of the trip. We wound up finding a nice hostel only a couple of blocks away from the Plaza Del Armas My six new friends and I had a blast in the ancient Incan capital; seeing many of the sights, scoffing the local cuisine - including the notorious coca tea - as well as hitting the local nightclubs. I must worn you however that drinking and dancing at an altitude of 3,326 m above sea level is something that only acclimatized, experienced drinkers should attempt! The highlights of Cuzco are its Plaza De Armas (built over the Incan palace of Huacaypata) and it's many colorful surrounding streets and alleyways that generate from it. One of these is Gringo Alley - named after the backpacking crowd that inhabits it throughout the year. Overlooking the splendid Plaza De Armas is the huge walled fortress of Sacsayhuaman. I actually had an arduous time trying to pronounce this until a local I met soon pointed out that the ruins sounded uncannily like "sexy woman". Sacsayhuaman actually means "satisfied falcon" in Quechua. The Incas envisioned their city of Cuzco to look like a Puma with Sacsayhuaman as the head. It's not just the ruins but the views that you get from them, as well as the en route San Cristobal Cathedral that makes this a breathtaking, not to be missed trip. Located in the heart of the Sacred Valley, Cuzco is not only packed with a luxuriance of things to see and do within it's own boundaries but it is also a strategic portal to many exciting day trips. One of these is the colorful market at the town of Pisac which comes alive on Sundays and is where yours truly picked up a nice new orange bag as well as a commodious leather hat. Pisac also has some excellent ruins of it's own that merit a visit. While sharing a taxi with some locals I had met in Cuzco, I was then informed of some festivals going on in the nearby villages of Coya and Calca. The festivals were in fact an annual dance contest put on by performers from nearby villages. In both villages, the Plaza's had been pleasantly decorated and the dancers boasted colorful masks and dress. As little effort was made to market these dances to tourists, I was one of the few gringos in either town - thus enhancing the authenticity of the experience Above: Dancers in Coya. The most popular "side" trip for any traveler to make in Cuzco is without a doubt Machu Picchu. Although it has become somewhat over commercialized, it is one of the top destinations on the continent and easily accessible from Cuzco. No matter where it is your going however, any side trip from Cuzco is a marvelous adventure. It is not just the final destination but half the joy is just getting there as the roadside views of the Andean Sacred Valley landscape are serene from every direction of Cuzco. There are valleys, Incan ruins, snowcapped mountain peaks, pretty colonial villages and cathedrals and all sorts of other colorful things to see all around the region. River rafting, trekking and mountain climbing are all popular activities. One could spend weeks wandering around Cuzco and it's surrounding environs. I spent my last day in Cuzco with a nice local lady friend, Jenny Mathilda Chavez - whom I had met in one of Cuzco's many discotheques. We went horse riding in the hilly Sacsayhuaman area northwest of Cuzco. For $2 an hour per person, this turned out to be quite a splendid deal. For me, Cuzco was the perfect introduction to Andean culture - A place where all of the traits can be sampled and enjoyed. I got to try Alpaca meat for the first time, hear traditional Andean music and immerse myself in the colorful markets and peoples of this region. Due to its mountainous location, the city has often been compared to Katmandu for its tranquility. I was obviously disappointed to leave but with Lake Titicaca as my next destination - I regretfully said goodbye to the city and Ms. Jenny and was on my way. Oddly enough, despite the altitude I was probably in the most mellifluous state I had been in years..... Although that might have had something to do with the Coca Tea! : ) LINKS:  Machu Picchu Lake Titicacca Peru Main Bolivia Travel glennstevens.biz