Cusco is the only city in the Americas built on top of an intact Inca urban plan — walking its perfectly fitted stone streets past colonial churches built directly on Inca foundations is the most vivid experience of conquest and continuity anywhere in the world. This companion post accompanies a real cusco walking tour filmed in 4K, the video Cusco, PERU — Historic Center 4K Walking Tour, Armas Plaza, Twelve Angled Stone, which walks the UNESCO World Heritage historic centre featuring the Plaza de Armas and the Inca masonry of Hatunrumiyoc.
About This Walking Tour
This 4K60fps walking tour covers the heart of Cusco’s UNESCO World Heritage historic centre, moving through the city that was once the capital of Tawantinsuyu — the Inca Empire — and later rebuilt by the Spanish on its foundations. The tour features the Plaza de Armas (the Inca Huacaypata, heart of the empire) with its two flanking colonial churches — the Cathedral (1654) and La Compañía de Jesús (1668) — both built on the foundations of Inca palaces using their stones.
The walk covers the famous Twelve Angled Stone (Piedra de los Doce Ángulos) on Hatunrumiyoc street — a single stone block with 12 perfectly fitted angles incorporated into the wall without a mortar joint, demonstrating the Inca stonemasons’ extraordinary precision. The tour also explores the Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun), the most important temple in the Inca Empire whose gold-sheathed walls were stripped by conquistadors; the Spanish built the Church of Santo Domingo directly on and around the temple’s foundations. The artisans’ quarter of San Blas and the Inca terraces and fortress of Sacsayhuamán above the city complete the walk.
Highlights of Cusco
The Plaza de Armas was the Huacaypata (Place of Weeping) in Inca times — the ceremonial centre of the empire where festivals, battles, and state ceremonies took place. The Cathedral of Cusco, built between 1560 and 1654, contains the most important collection of colonial religious art in the Americas and incorporates stones taken from Sacsayhuamán. Its famous altar of hammered silver is among the most elaborate in South America.
The Twelve Angled Stone on Hatunrumiyoc is perhaps the most visited single stone in the world — a block incorporating 12 precisely cut faces that fit seamlessly into the surrounding Inca wall without mortar, a fitting demonstration of the technique used throughout the Cusco urban fabric. The Sacsayhuamán fortress above the city uses stones weighing up to 200 tonnes, fitted so precisely that no gap wide enough for a sheet of paper can be found between them — achieving earthquake resistance that has preserved the walls for 600 years while the Spanish structures built atop them have repeatedly needed repair. The site hosts the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) ceremony each June 24.
A Brief History of Cusco
Cusco served as the capital of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) from around 1100 AD. Under the ninth Inca, Pachacuti (reigned 1438–1471), the city was entirely redesigned in the shape of a puma, with the Sacsayhuamán complex forming the puma’s head and the urban grid forming its body. At its peak the Inca Empire administered a territory stretching 4,000 km from modern Colombia to central Chile — the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa in 1532 and received an enormous ransom in gold; the empire never recovered. Spanish forces entered Cusco in 1533 and began the systematic dismantling of Inca structures for building material.
The city sits at 3,400 metres above sea level — altitude sickness (soroche) affects most new arrivals and typically takes 24–48 hours to acclimatise. Coca tea is the traditional Andean remedy. UNESCO designated the historic centre of Cusco a World Heritage Site in 1983.
Practical Tips
Peru’s currency is the Peruvian sol (PEN). Spanish is the primary language; Quechua is widely spoken in Cusco and the surrounding Sacred Valley. Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport is 3 km from the Plaza de Armas; altitude acclimatisation of at least one day is strongly recommended before walking or hiking. The Boleto Turístico (Tourist Ticket) covers entry to Sacsayhuamán, Qorikancha, and other key sites. Trains to Machu Picchu depart from Poroy (15 minutes from Cusco) or Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley.
Best Time to Visit
May through October is the dry season — essential for the Inca Trail trekking season and for clear views of the surrounding Andes. June 24 for the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) at Sacsayhuamán — one of the great ceremonial spectacles in South America. November through April is the rainy season; the ruins are atmospheric in rain but some trails can be muddy.
Watch & Explore More
Watch the 4K Historic Centre walk above to explore the Inca Empire’s navel of the world. For more Andean and Peruvian walks, see Lima: Miraflores to Barranco and Machu Picchu: Self-Guided Citadel Walk. Subscribe to @walkingtoursvideoscom for walking tour films from extraordinary destinations.