Useful Information
Cusco General Information
History
The fame achieved by archeological Cusco can be found well before the Inca Age. Cusco dates back about 1000 years before Christ when the Marcavalle culture was in force. From there, Chamepata began. The history of the contemporary culture of Pucara in Puno was lost until the Waris conquered the zone, including it in the Wari's Empire. After the Waris, the region re-established itself, first with the Killke Culture and then with the Incas.
In the past, Cusco represented the center of Incan civilization. It was the capital of the Andean state of Tahuantinsuyo. According to legend, it was founded by Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo between the 11th and 12th centuries. Later, due to an order by Spaniard Francisco Pizarro, this city was founded again in March 23, 1534.
Location:
The city of cusco is located in Southamerica, on the
southeast Andes of Perú, at 13° 30 South Latitude and at 72° 00
longitud Oeste from meridian of Greenwich. Cusco is the actual
capital of the province and department of Cusco . ALTITUDE: 3360
metres above the sea level.
Weather:
There's no such a difference between the four seasons,
however there is two specific times of the year: the Rainy
Seasonfrom november to march and the Dry Seasonfrom April to
October.
Territory:
The territory of Cusco has an extension of 76,225 Km² and
the province of Cusco goes for 523,000 Km².
Temperature:
In Cusco the anual temperature goes from 11°C to 13°C and
sometimes 20°C on a sunny day.
Language:
The official languages of Peru are: Spanish which is used on
a 73% of the population; the Quechua or runasimi, spoken for a
24% of peruvians. Some specialists recognise to
especificvariations of quechua on the national territory : the
huáihuash, which is quite popular on the central part of Peru
and the huámpuy, spoken by the rest of th country. Most of the
quechua-speakers are bilingual and have spanish as their second
language. The same thing happens with the Aymaras, whose
language extends strongly over the Altiplano. There are also
over 55 amazonic languages spoken by tribes on the peruvian
jungle such as: asháninka, aguaruna and machiguenga.
Religion: The oficial religion is the Roman Catholic. Over an 80%ofthe population practice it with deep devotion, However there is a freedom of cult in this country, nobody is compulsed to believe in what others say, besides some people from the Andes and the Amazonia practice the Catholic Religion mixed with soem old traditions such as the cult to the Pachamama (the ground) and the natural phenomenums.
Currency:
The Official currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol and its
symbol is S/. It is divided in 100 centimos (cents): with coins
valued at S/.5 , S/.2 , S/.1,and 50, 20, 10 centimo pieces,
although the latter is being phased out as it is virtually
worthless. Notes in circulation are S/. 200 , S/.100 , S/.50,
S/.20 and S/.10. The economy of Peru goes side by side with
theamerican dollar, that's why many businesses are treated with
the use of both currencies.
Exchange Rates:
The easiest foreign currency to exchange is the american
dollar, very common on the tourism issue, most of the entrance
fees, tickets and and fares are given in americn dollars. There
are plenty of Exchange Houses and you could also exchange your
money with the people who exchange money on the street who are
usually walking up and down Sol Av. Hotels and credit card may
do that for you eventhough they are extremely reliable their
exchange rate is very low which makes you lose a fair bit of
money. The exchange rate varies everyday on a consider
difference.
Travellers Checks:
Travellers checks are not very used, it gets a bit
problematic even in some banks, and especially because the loss
of porcentage is about 2 to 5% of the total value of your check.
Money Transfers:
You can do some movements on your accounts from Peru with no
problems at all, it is just a matter of time, which could take
from three days to more in case they are of international matter,
if it is a national transfer it should take no longer than one
day. There is also the use of ATMs which are easy to reach and
located on the main avenue , Av. Sol.
Credit Cards:
The most popular and accepted credit cards are: Visa,
Dinners, Mastercard and American Express. However the use of
these is not very popularin some provinces in Peru.
Banks:
Generally the banks in Lima are open to the public from
09:00 until 18:00 from monday to friday and saturdays and
sundays only until mid day capital, However in some other cities
like Cusco some banks close at mid day or lunch time for about
three hours and start again.
Time:
Peruvian time is located five hours after the GMT (Greenwich
Mean time) and it's similar to the EST (Eastern Standart Time)
time in the U. S. A..
Referencial Times:
When it is noon in Peru, in Santiago de Chile and Caracas is
13:00; in Rio de Janeiro and buenos aires it is 14:00; in New
york it is 12:00 , and in Tokyo it is 03:00 on the day after.
