Cusco Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru

Info. Cusco Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru

Today, we're about 3,400 metres above sea level in the city of Cusco, in the Peruvian Andes. Cusco is considered the historical capital of Peru. The city served as a capital for the Incan Empire in the three centuries before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. The Spanish invaders even tried to destroy Cusco, but after failing to do so, they began building instead.

Cusco Cathedral, seen in the foreground of this photo, is among their longest-lasting accomplishments. Constructed in the city's busy main square called the Plaza de Armas, this Gothic-Renaissance-styled building took nearly 100 years to complete. The cathedral still holds many archaeological artefacts and relics, and along with the city of Cusco itself, was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.