I came here totally unprepared. Cusco was to be the base to begin our tour to The Lost City of the Incas - more famously known as Machu Picchu - BUT the city itself and the surrounding areas have so much to offer. With our fabulous guide we all learned so much about the Incas. The Incas were originally a small tribe in the southern highlands of Peru. In less than a century, during the 1400s, they built one of the largest, most tightly controlled empires the world has ever known. The Ancient Inca built aqueducts, cities, temples, fortresses, tunnels, suspension bridges, and 2,250 miles of roads. The Inca had a great understanding of mathematics and agriculture. Spanish conquerors captured the Inca emperor in 1532 and began to break up the empire. In 1572 the Spanish executed the last of the Inca emperors (Tupac Amaru) signalling the end of the Inca Empire.

The city of Cusco (also named Qosqo in Quechua language), was founded in 12th century by the Inca Manco Cápac. The name the Incas gave it was Tahuantansuyo (Four Kingdoms) representing the four cardinal points of their Empire. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the archaeological capital of America, a cosmopolitan city, one of the most visited tourist destinations of Peru, and the gateway to Machu Picchu. Talk about a mouthful of claims to fame!! This city offers a beguiling blend of cobblestone streets, colonial period architecture and that unmistakable Peruvian street spirit. Built in the shape of a prancing Jaguar,Cusco was the capital of the Incan empire in the 13th century, serving as the literal centre of power, with four roads leading from Cusco to the four quarters of the empire. Now more than 430,000 people live here - most of them of indigenous origin and speaking Quechua.

With an elevation of roughly 3,400 meters, Cusco lies at the centre of Peru's famous Sacred Valley. When you first arrive in Cusco, plan to spend a couple of days taking it easy to acclimatise to the altitude. Don't over-exert yourself. Even climbing a flight of stairs can be a challenge when you first arrive! If you have a headache, take paracetamol to ease it, keep hydrated and avoid alcohol and smoking. Chewing coca leaves or drinking coca tea (if you can stand the taste) will also relieve symptoms. If you suffer from any more serious symptoms like vomiting and disorientation, seek medical attention immediately. Altitude sickness can be deadly so do not muck around if you start to show any symptoms. The last thing you want to do is destroy your holiday!!

This is a good time to explore the city of Cusco.

Plaza de Armas in the heart of the city. At its centre is the statue of Inca ruler Pachacuti. In Inca times, it was called "Huacaypata," a Quechua word meaning a place of meeting or of weeping. It was an important ceremonial site, where the Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun was celebrated each year. It was also the site where Francisco Pizarro proclaimed the conquest of Cuzco. With the arrival of the Spanish, the plaza was transformed: they built stone arches and erected the buildings that still surround it to this day. The plaza is surrounded by numerous cafes and bars, and it is always busy with people with both tourists and locals, milling about. Disregard the plethora of vendors around the square who will try to empty your wallets for everything from paintings to massages!!

La Catedral (The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin,) is a dramatic piece of architecture representing Spanish conquest. Built in 1550 on the site of the palace of the Inca Wiracocha and using stones looted from the nearby Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán, the cathedral is a perfect example of the imposition of the Catholic faith on the indigenous population. Construction occurred in two phases: first the Chapel of Triumph was built on what had been the ancient temple of Suntur Wasi (House of God); afterwards, the cathedral was erected on the palace of the Inca Wiracocha. The Renaissance style dominates the façade and the interior, which features particularly exquisite carvings in cedar and alder. The choir and the pulpit are both remarkable for their beauty. It houses an important collection of paintings from the Cuzco School and silver-embossed objects. The cathedral, a symbol of the Spanish conquest, contains a unique Peruvian touch in the replica of Da Vinci's 'Last Supper': a guinea pig (cuy) appears on one of the plates. However some claim that it's not a guinea pig at all but rather a wild Andean chinchilla. The Spanish used symbols from Incan religion throughout the church so to me it was one of the strangest churches I have ever visited. We found a black Christ on a cross, pictures and statues with indigenous facial features, and even depictions of Christ dressed in what appears to be a white dress!! Unfortunately pictures are not allowed inside and there are a multitude of guards to ensure no one actually does take photos of these bizarre sights. However, the exterior of La Catedral is rather picturesque both during the day and at night when it's lit up with the rest of La Plaza de Armas.

Temple of La Compañía de Jesús (Church of the Society of Jesus) the original temple was built in 1571 on the lands of the ancient Amarucancha, palace of the Inca Huayna Cápac. It was rebuilt around 1688 after the 1650 earthquake. The original design and the façade are examples of the Andean Baroque style. The "altarpiece-type" façade is decorated with towers of medium height, and its stone walls were skilfully sculpted. Notable within the temple are the high altar made of three parts and salomonic columns, the wooden pulpit, and numerous altarpieces in the Baroque, plateresque and churrigueresque styles. Among the works of art, "The Marriage of Martín García de Loyola to Beatriz Clara Coya" stands out. Often referred to as the most wonderful baroque-style church in the Americas, the cathedral has quite an exciting history. The Jesuits built it to outdo the splendour of the Cathedral next door - though ultimately they were forbidden to actually achieve it. Judge for yourself if they succeeded nonetheless!

Corincancha (Inca Sun Temple), (sometimes spelled Koricancha) was the centrepiece of the Incan Empire and was once lined with sheets of gold (considered the sweat of the sun). Believed to have been built around 1200 AD, the temple was constructed using the distinctive and intricate masonry style of the Incas. The temple complex consisted of four main chambers, each dedicated to a different deity of the moon, stars, thunder and rainbows. Little remains of this temple complex today except some sections of its fine stone walls which hint at the site's once massive size and the legendary stories which tell of the enormous quantity of gold that were used.

Once the Spanish proceeded to take Cusco, they chose to destroy most of the revered Incan site and stripped it of any remaining gold. They then proceeded to build the church upon Corincancha's foundations, which you can still find and visit next door (named the church and convent of Santo Domingo). It is the remains of Coricancha which continue to act as an important link to the Incans, and a key place to visit in order to understand them and the clash of two civilisations, with one's temple built atop the other in a very unsubtle metaphor for conquest.

It is a (steep) uphill walk to the artisan neighbourhood of San Blas for a stroll through the shops. The artisan neighbourhood of San Blas is notable for its architecture and quaint shops. Once in San Blas, there is no way around not checking out the Iglesia de San Blas. Admittedly the church is rather plain from outside. Inside, however, you will see one of the main attractions of Cusco: a wooden pulpit of such intricate baroque design that it beggars understanding. Tradition holds that the work was hewn from a single tree trunk, but experts now believe it was assembled from 1,200 individually carved pieces!! The work is dominated by the triumphant figure of Christ. At his feet rests a human skull, not carved, but the real thing. It's thought to belong to Juan Tomás Tuyrutupac, the creator of the pulpit.

When visiting Cusco, it is almost impossible to miss the gigantic mural in Avenida El Sol. This painting reflects the history of Cusco and also reflects the time of the Spanish invasion and the stage of the proclamation of independence. It was completed in 1992 by Juan Bravo. As we walked about we also saw some other colourful street art and modern fountains with an Incan sun disc. A visit to the markets near our hotel ensured that we walked away with our personal mementos of this amazing city.

We also managed to fit in a folklore show at La Cusquenita, tried the local beer and went to the highest Irish pub in the world. Talk about being action packed in Cusco.....