Visit Peru's Incan Past

Located on the northwest coast of South America, lies theculturally diverse nation of Peru, which consists of everyactivity from hiking the ancient Incan ruins in the sacredvalley on the way to Machu Picchu to enjoying an aerialperspective of the Nazca lines. One special aspect of Peru isthe fact that although the country has a lot to offer to localsand tourists alike, along with the modern, industrial city ofLima.

Machu Picchu--Incan ruins

Although there is a widerange of sights andactivities that tourists canparticipate in during theirstay in Peru, there aresome key insights thathighlight how toeffectively make use ofyour time in this historicalgem.

Historically known as the “Cradle of the Incan

Empire,” Peruvian’s national treasure was only

discovered around one hundred years ago (1911) by

an American archeologist named Hiram Bingham.

Hidden in the lush mountains of the sacred valley

for centuries from Spanish conquistadores, there is

no question that this ancient masterpiece safely

reigns as the prime tourist spot.

From the top of Machu Picchu you can also easily seethe Urubamba river that passes through the ruins formiles. Even if history is not necessarily your forte orprimary interest, more adventure oriented explorerscan participate in the numerous day or more longterm hikes along the trails in the sacred valley.

Known as one of the many world heritage sights ofPeru, Cusco still remains a culturally accuraterepresentation of the Spanish inquisition at its peak.Built as a traditional Incan city, until this day this spotremains a cultural reminder of both preserved, pre-colonial ancient Peru and Spanish ruled colonialism.

If you’re headed to Machu Picchu, Cusco is a must-seesightseeing spot which is actually located on the way tothe ancient capital of the Incan empire. One of the bigtourist spots is called “Plaza de Armas,” where theSpanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro proclaimed hisofficial proclamation of the city.

The Nazca culture focuses on artifacts such as textiles,ceramics and other pieces of art that could make greatsouvenirs or gifts to give for friends back home. If you’refeeling a bit adventurous, be sure to try Peru’s nationalalcoholic beverage called pisco sour along with thenational delicatessen of roasted guinea pig.

The capital of Peru, which is a bustling, cosmopolitan city isthe perfect combination of the old and new, without toomuch on the past. Although this city definitely has astronger prevalence in terms of cultural remnants of theSpanish inquisition, such as the magnificent, extravagantlytowering cathedrals that are spread across the city.

The Plaza de Armas which

is located in the city

center, consists of lovely,

architecturally stunning

Spanish churches along

with key, important

government buildings.

One specific visual

component to pay

attention to is the reddish

Moorish inspired siding

that the Spanish architects

brought to Latin America.