 is Cusco's main plaza, and one of the most important landmarks in the city. It's the heart of old and modern Cusco.){kind=link}
[content_slider]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[/content_slider]
CUSCO | Plaza de Armas (Plaza Major) is Cusco’s main plaza, and one of the most important landmarks in the city. Known as Huacaypata or “Square of the Warrior” in Inca times, it was the heart of the Inca Empire. In fact, Cusco was originally designed to resemble a Puma if looked at from above, and the square was located at the heart of the Puma.
In 1532, when Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro defeated the Inca Empire, it was here that he proclaimed the Inca lands for Spain. Huacaypata was renamed Plaza de Armas, and reduced to about half its size, with colonial Spanish buildings like Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús replacing the Inca structures. The plaza is also the site of Túpac Amaru II’s death. He was the last leader of the Inca resistance.
Today, the plaza is still the hear of Cusco, and is busy with locals and tourists almost every day and night of the week. During the day it’s the central location for exploring Cusco’s museums and historical sites, and by night its a bustling center of nightlife.
Plaza de Armas (Plaza Major)
Plaza De Armas
Cusco
Cusco 08000
Peru
Telephone: n/a
E-mail: n/a
Website: n/a
Open
Mon – Sun: All day