Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago. Located on the eastern end of the Knot of Cuzco, its elevation is around 3,400 m . Cusco was the site of the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. It is a major tourist destination and receives almost 2 million visitors a year. It is designated as the... Historical Capital of Peru by the Constitution of Peru. The aboriginal name of this city was Qusqu. Although it was used in Quechua, its origin has been found in the Aymara language. The word itself originated in the phrase qusqu wanka , attending to the foundational myth of the Ayar Siblings. According to this legend, Ayar Auca got wings and flew to the site of the future city and transformed into a rock to mark the possession of the land by his ayllu .
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| Country: | Peru |
| Population: | 348,935 |
| Also known as: | Cuzco |