The Inca Heartland

The Incas' innate ability to build in harmony with the environment is more than apparent in this picturesque Andean province. The Sacred Valley, which they envisioned as a representation of heaven on earth, is rich in natural beauty and ancient history, dotted with numerous Inca temples and fortresses. Of these, none is more spectacular than Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Inca heartland was the largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas, with the city of Cusco as its imperial seat. Dating back to 1,200 AD, the empire was known as the Tahuantinsuyo, a Quechua name composed of two words: Tawa (four) and Suyo (State or region).

A Vast Empire

The territorial reach of the Inca heartland was immense, occupying more than 3,000,000 km² and spanning over 5,000 km (3,107 miles) of Pacific coastline—an area twice the size of modern-day Peru.

The four nations (suyos) radiated from Cusco, their geographic and political center:

• Chinchaysuyo: To the northwest, reaching the Ancash mayo River in Pasto (Colombia).
• Antisuyo: To the northeast, located in the subtropical valleys and parts of the Amazonian lowlands.
• Contisuyo: To the southwest, covering the Peruvian coast down to the Maule River (Chile).
• Collasuyo: To the southeast, spanning much of present-day Bolivia down to Tucumán (Argentina).

Land and Society

All lands belonged to the Sun, the Inca, and the State. They were distributed so that every inhabitant had a fertile plot to work. At birth, males received a tupu (approx. 2,700 m² / 0.67 acres), while women received half that amount. These lands were not private property; they could not be sold or inherited. When a person passed away, the land was returned to the State to be redistributed to a new inhabitant.

History and Myth

For centuries, Cusco and its surroundings served as the ancestral home of the Incas. Legend tells of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, children of the Sun (Inti) and Moon (Killa), who set out to find a place to establish their kingdom. When they reached the Huatanay River Valley, Manco Cápac plunged his golden staff into the ground until it vanished—a divine sign that this was the site for the Inca capital.

While the region was occupied by cultures like the Wari in the 8th and 9th centuries, it reached its peak under Inca control. According to the 16th-century chronicles of Garcilaso de la Vega—the son of an Inca princess and a Spanish conquistador—thirteen emperors ruled the valley from the 12th to the 15th century. From this base, they forged a massive empire in less than a hundred years. Pachacútec, the ninth Inca and a visionary architect, was responsible for redesigning Cusco into the shape of a sacred puma.

In 1533, Francisco Pizarro and the Spanish arrived. Following the defeat of the Incas, they transformed the city, building colonial mansions atop pre-Hispanic structures. Gradually, Cusco became a symbol of mestizaje—a unique architectural and cultural blend of Spanish and Andean elements. After the initial conquest, the province remained a quiet Andean domain until the "scientific" rediscovery of Machu Picchu in 1911, which transformed this remote outpost into a global travel hub.

Sights at a Glance

Towns and Cities

• Calca
• Chinchero
• Cusco
• Pisaq

• Machu Picchu
• Moray and Salt mines
• Ollantaytambo
• Sacsayhuamán
• Pikillacta and rumicolca
• Tipón

• City tours
• Tambomachay
• Sacred Valley

Treks

• Inca Trail
• Salkantay trek
• Choquequirao trek
• Lares Trek
• Cachicata Trek