98 Cuzco (Peru) Beacon Press, 1992; Thomas, Hugh Conquest New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993 Michael J Schroeder Cuzco (Peru) Cuzco was the center of the great Inca Empire, located in modern-day Peru The word cuzco means “navel of the universe.” As in many other civilizations throughout history, this term suggests that the Incas saw themselves as the center of the world The Inca Empire itself incorporated not just modern-day Peru, but also parts of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia Cuzco, with a very pleasant climate, is situated in a valley at an altitude of 3,250 m (10,000 ft.) In terms of pre-Columbian Latin American history, the Incas were relative latecomers to the area, similar to the Aztecs in Mexico It was really in the 1400s that the Inca Empire flourished By the time the Spaniards arrived in 1533, the empire had been in existence about 200 years Modern knowledge of the origins of Cuzco comes from legends Legend holds that Cuzco was founded by Manco Capac, the first Inca ruler There are two similar legends regarding the founding of Cuzco In the first, four brothers and four sisters left a cave just south of Cuzco One of the siblings carried a golden rod that was stuck into the ground at several points during their travel As these people were the children of the God of Sun, they were looking for a homeland When they arrived at Cuzco, only four children were left, one of whom was Manco Cápac In another version, the God of Sun sent out his two children, one of each gender, from Lake Titicaca They were told to drive a golden rod into the ground wherever they stopped to rest or eat The staff would drive into the ground and disappear According to the legends, it was the place where the staff disappeared that became Cuzco Despite the legends, archaeologists have determined that the Incas did move to Cuzco, which was previously occupied by a different tribe Their rule from Cuzco is believed to have begun somewhere around a.d 1200 During the 1300s the Incas were an ordinary tribe residing in the general Cuzco area The name Inca itself means “ruler,” and this group often fought with other tribes in the area for control of both the land and water When compared to other South American tribes, the Incas were not initially considered as advanced as others Peruvians surrounded by the mortarless masonry of the ancient Incas, in Cuzco, Peru Using Cuzco as a starting point, the Incas began to raid their neighbors Many historians have pointed out that the Incas themselves were not so much innovators as they were adapters Whenever a new tribe or group of people were conquered, the Incas immediately took note of their industrial and artistic strengths, drawing from their knowledge to increase their own Skilled artisans or artists were often sent to Cuzco to demonstrate their knowledge to the Inca ruler At its height, Cuzco was a stunningly beautiful city The temples and palaces were massive and extravagantly decorated with gold Although the Inca Empire expanded rapidly, it was not necessarily through the use of brute force Often the Incas would send out a courier to a new tribe or group of people These people were given a choice— either incorporate into the Inca Empire willingly or military force would be used Cuzco itself was the target of numerous attacks Sapa Inca Pachacutic, an Inca king, became a hero for defending Cuzco and calming the areas around the city He also helped to raise Cuzco back up into a major center for both empire administration and scientific learning The Incas relied upon the oral tradition to preserve their heritage Historians know of approximately 11