Cusco
This Incan city, home to many llamas, is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley (Sacred Valley) of the Andes mountain range. The altitude of the city is around 3,500 m (11,500 feet). The original Incan city, said to have been founded in the eleventh century, was conquered by Pizarro in 1535.

The most famous Incan ruins, Pachacutec's presumed winter home, Machu Picchu, can be reached on foot by the Inca trail or by train.

Although the region of Cusco is one of the most popular tourist areas in all of South America, none of the economic benefits and investment of tourism reach the local rural communities. Within the Cusco department, 75% of its population lives in poverty and 60% of the inhabitants have at least one unsatisfied basic need. Departmental levels of education and literacy are worse than the national average with Cusco among the worst in the country.