Historic Centre of Cusco

The Historic Centre of Cusco (Centro histórico de Cusco, CHC), is the historic city centre of the Peruvian city of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. It consists of two areas: the first is the Monumental Zone established by the Peruvian government in 1972, and the second one—contained within the first one—is the World Heritage Site established by UNESCO in 1983 under the name of City of Cuzco (Ciudad del Cusco), where a selected number of buildings are marked with the organisation's blue-and-white shield since 2021.

Originally the capital of the Inca Empire, it was captured by the Spanish Empire in 1533 as a result of the Inca Civil War, becoming an important urban centre of the Viceroyalty of Peru, as well as its capital after the capture of Lima in 1821 during the Peruvian War of Independence. After a republic was established, the city lost its influence to Lima, the capital of independent Peru. It is one of the most important tourist destinations of Peru.

History
The city was originally the site of the Killke culture, who occupied it between 900 and 1200 AD. It afterwards served as the capital and namesake of the Kingdom of Cuzco, which in turn was replaced by the Inca Empire, who also established the city as the empire's capital. During the Inca Civil War, the city was controlled by Huáscar until its capture by Atahualpa's forces following the Battle of Quipaipán in 1532. Shortly after, the city was captured by the Spanish Empire, who demolished a number of already existing buildings and structures, using them as the bases for new constructions and thus leading to a mixture of Incan and Spanish architecture, such as in the neighbourhoods of Santa Clara and San Blas, while preserving the original spatial organisation of the city.

Under the Viceroyalty of Peru, the city served as an important urban centre, connected to the southern part of the viceroyalty. During this period, it saw episodes such as the rebellions of Túpac Amaru II and of the so-called "Government Junta" in 1814. During the Peruvian War of Independence, it briefly served as the capital of the viceroyalty between 1821 and 1824, after Lima was captured by the forces of José de San Martín. After independence, its influence was overshadowed by that of Lima, the capital of the Republic of Peru. During the War of the Pacific, it played an important role in assisting the Peruvian resistance movement, and a decade later it played an important role in the civil war between then president Andrés A. Cáceres and former president and political rival Nicolás de Piérola.

A major earthquake on 21 May hit in 1950, and caused damage in more than one third of the city's structures. Those built by the Spanish were more affected than those of the Incas, although the masonry of the retaining walls of the former Coricancha was rediscovered after they were exposed by the earthquake. Restoration works were carried out in the temple to completely expose the Inca structure without compromising the integrity of the Spanish building.

The city was declared a Monumental Area by the Peruvian government in 1972 (with expansions made in 1974 and 1991), and was subsequently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. In 2021, the first blue-and-white shield of the city was added to the former residence of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, with other shields added to the Palace of the Cabildo of Cuzco and the Municipal Theatre of Cuzco soon after. In 2022, more shields were added to the Catholic temples at the main square of the city. In 2023, another shield was added to the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.

List of sites
The World Heritage Site, divided into a main site with three different exclaves within its buffer zone, features a number of landmarks.

Main Square and Historic Centre
The main zone is that of the Main Square and Historic Centre (139.35 ha; buffer zone: 284.93 ha), which features the following:

Almudena and Almudena Church
The Almudena and Almudena Church (1.35 ha), features the following:

Santiago Square and Church
The Santiago Square and Church (0.9 ha), features the following:

Belén Square and Church
The Belén Square and Church (0.88 ha), features the following: