Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas is the geographic and spiritual center of Cusco, a city high in the Peruvian Andes that was once the capital of the vast Inca Empire. The square sits at roughly 3,400 meters above sea level and has been a gathering place for thousands of years — the Incas called it Huacaypata, meaning 'place of weeping,' and used it for ceremonies, executions, and celebrations. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they built their cathedral and churches directly over Inca foundations, creating one of the most striking examples of colonial layering over Indigenous civilization anywhere in the Americas.

The plaza itself is an open, beautifully kept square anchored by a central fountain and ringed by arcaded stone buildings that house restaurants, bars, and shops on their lower floors. Dominating one side is the Cathedral of Cusco, a hulking 16th-century structure that took nearly a century to build and contains the famous painting of The Last Supper featuring guinea pig as the main dish — a detail that has delighted visitors for decades. Opposite stands the Church of La Compañía de Jesús, whose ornate baroque facade is so extravagant that the Pope himself reportedly had to intervene when local Jesuits were accused of upstaging the cathedral. Spend time just watching: street vendors sell coca leaves and postcards, locals cross the square in both directions, and tourists from every corner of the world stand slightly breathless — partly from the altitude, partly from the scale of what surrounds them.

The plaza is free to enter and open around the clock, but the real magic happens in the early morning before tour groups arrive, and again after sunset when the cathedral and churches are lit up dramatically. Most visitors to Cusco pass through multiple times during their stay, using it as a natural orientation point. Bear in mind that the restaurants directly on the plaza tend to be overpriced relative to quality — you're paying for the view. Walk a block or two in any direction for better value.