Historical & Cultural Landmarks in Peru

Situated in the Peruvian Andes, Cusco developed into a complex Incan urban center with distinct religious and administrative functions. When the Spaniards conquered it in the 16th century, they preserved the basic structure but built Baroque churches and palaces over the ruins of the Inca city.

The Historic Center of Lima is located in the Rimac valley and was founded by Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro. Lima was the political, administrative, religious and economic capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the most important city of the Spanish dominions in South America.

Embedded within a dramatic landscape between the Andes and the Amazon Basin, the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere, as well as the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization.

The historical center of Arequipa, the present capital of the Arequipa Region, is an outstanding example of a colonial settlement challenged by the natural conditions, the indigenous influences, the process of conquest and evangelization, as well as the spectacular nature of its setting.

The Nazca Lines are a group of very large geoglyphs formed by depressions or shallow incisions made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru between 500 BC and 500 AD. The site is one of the most impressive-looking archaeological areas in the world.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas, also known as the Urubamba Valley, is located within the Peruvian Andes in the present-day Peruvian region of Cusco. The town of Urubamba is located near a number of significant ruins of the Inca Empire including Machu Picchu.