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Cusco

Type Object Region South America Time c. 1200–1533

The sacred capital and political center of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) in the Andean highlands, rebuilt by Pachacuti (from around 1438) into a rad…

Timeline

  1. c. 1200Cusco Valley · PeruBefore the Inca founding legend, Cusco was already the center of a local kingdom in the central Andes, a settlement based on agricultural terraces and temple architecture.
  2. c. 1438Cusco · PeruAfter defeating the Chanka people, Pachacuti planned Cusco as the imperial capital, building the Temple of the Sun (Coricancha) and stone royal structures, establishing its status as a sacred capital.
  3. 1441–1450Cusco · PeruDuring this period Cusco served as the administrative and religious core of Tawantinsuyu, with the imperial road (Qhapaq Ñan) radiating from it, while noble residences and storage systems sustained ongoing military conquest and tribute collection.
  4. 1533Cusco · PeruPizarro's forces occupied Cusco, and the Inca imperial capital was turned into a Spanish colonial administrative center, with much Inca architecture demolished, altered, or built over by colonial churches and government offices.

Sources