Plaza de Armas (Main Square), Cusco (must see)

Main Square is Cusco's central hub of activity. Although the square has a distinctly colonial appearance today, the area has been at the center of the city since the time of the Inca Empire. Here, Inca armies celebrated victories and residents gathered for important ceremonies. At the time, the square was known as the "Square of the Warrior."

Before Main Square became a gathering place, the area was a swamp. According to legend, Manco Cápac, the founder of the Inca civilization in Cusco, built a palace and a city around the swamp. His son later began draining it, transforming the area into a central gathering place.

During the Inca era, the square was considerably larger than it is today and hosted administrative and religious activities, as well as fairs and festivals. Impressive Inca palaces lined its perimeter. The Spanish arrived in the early 1500s and took over the palaces. They built chapels, churches, and mansions on the sites of Inca structures. As a result, many of today's buildings combine Spanish colonial architecture with Inca foundations and surviving Inca walls.

As you explore Main Square, take a moment to look around at the impressive buildings that frame it. Look toward the eastern side of the plaza for the massive stone façade and twin towers of Cusco Cathedral. Now turn toward the southeastern side of the square. Here you'll see the Church of the Company of Jesus, recognizable by its elaborate Baroque façade and two bell towers. It stands on the former site of Amarucancha, the palace associated with the Inca ruler Huayna Capac.

In the center, you'll see the square's fountain, while the arcaded buildings extending around the remaining sides of the plaza are filled with cafés, restaurants, shops, and other businesses. As you stand in the square, remember that this was also the setting for one of the most important episodes in Peru's colonial history. José Gabriel Túpac Amaru II, leader of a major uprising against Spanish rule, was publicly executed here in 1781.