Old photos of Cusco

Cusco, in the Andes of southern Peru, was the capital of the Inca empire. According to Inca tradition it was founded by Manco Capac, and under Pachacuti in the 15th century it was rebuilt as the ceremonial and administrative centre of an empire that stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile. The Coricancha, the temple of the sun, stood at its heart, and the fortress-temple of Sacsayhuaman with its huge fitted stones overlooked the city from the north.

Spanish forces under Francisco Pizarro entered Cusco in 1533. The conquerors built churches, monasteries and mansions directly on Inca foundations: the cathedral on the plaza, the church of Santo Domingo on the Coricancha, and colonial houses whose lower walls are Inca masonry. A revolt led by Manco Inca besieged the city in 1536, and in the 18th century Tupac Amaru II led a major uprising against Spanish rule. A severe earthquake in 1650 and another in 1950 damaged many buildings and prompted extensive rebuilding and restoration. The city was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

Old photographs of Cusco typically show the Plaza de Armas and cathedral, the Inca walls of Hatunrumiyoc street with the twelve-angled stone, Sacsayhuaman, church processions, and Quechua people with llamas in the streets.

What the photos show

The 644 photographs of Cusco on PlaceWas span 14 decades, from 1868 to 2025. 83 of them were taken before 1980; the other 561 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.54 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.644 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.