Cusco

Welcome to the navel of the world. The undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, Cusco is the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city and the gateway to Machu Picchu. Cosmopolitan Cusco (also Cuzco, or Qosq’o in Quechua) thrives with a measure of contradiction. Ornate cathedrals squat over Inca temples, massage hawkers ply the narrow cobblestone passages, a rural Andean woman feeds bottled water to her pet llama while the finest boutiques sell pricey alpaca knits.