Los Angeles Times travel editor
9. Cuzco, sometimes spelled Cusco, means "navel" or "center" of the Earth. It certainly was the center of Inca civilization high in the Andes Mountains.
It was under Pachacutec and Tupac Yupanqui that the Incan Empire was shaped and Cusco was created into its great capital. The city of Cusco was reconstructed over a period of 20 years. A keen civic planner, Pachacutec vision for Cusco the changed the very way of life of the Inca people, he envisioned the capital of a great kingdom. Where the four corners would come together and Cusco would be in the center. Through his vision cities would be organized in a hierarchical manner. The urban center would unite administrative and religious functions. While outlying areas and satellite towns were situated in a cultivated zone were units of agricultural, artisanal, and industrial production.
When the Spanish came they built their city on top of the Incan city. Much of the city's layout is still due to Pachacutec's design. The plaza major in Cusco is was also the central plaza during the time of the Incas.
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