CUSCO WONDERFUL CITY

THE MAIN SQUARE OF CUSCO

the Main square (Plaza de Armas): it is the city's heart and one of the main tourist attractions to visit upon arrival to the city of Cusco. The panoramic view of all the Plaza de Armas, tantalizes anyone to relax, with a drin and contemplate the midle of the place from its balconies. In the middle of the square, there is a water fountain under which were found objets of gold during its remodeling. in 1997. It is a meeting place for visitors from the whole world; mainly during the day and at dusk. close by is the Avenida el Sun, where a wide variety of shops, shopping centers, businesses, banks and money exchange agents generate constan activity in the last ten years, the plaza de Armas has changed quite a lot. But, in Incan times,that square was called "Huaycaypata"; a Quechua word which means "High Meeting Place", as it was an important ceremonial site, where the Inti Raymi or Celebration to the sun took place each year and the place where Francisco Pizarro Publically proclaimed the conquest of Cusco.
With the arrival of the Spaniards, the square transformed itself, as stone arches were built, along with the constructions that surround it up to present days. In its surroundings, the calle triunfo leads to the neighborhood of san Blas and another street located in the center of the square's Northwestern part, carries the quechua pride made it so that, officially, many street have switched their sapnish names into their equivalent in Quechua. At night, the Plaza de Arma sacquires a picturesque hue, with bars and discotheques that gather locals.
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