Cusco, Peru

This card is from a friend of a fried who traveled to Peru. He writes that the whole city of Cusco looks more or less like the picture on this card. Cusco (also spelled Cuzco, but officially Qosqo in Quechua), located in southeastern Peru, was the historic capital city of the Inca Empire. It was supposedly constructed in the shape of a puma, which was a sacred animal. Spanish conquistadores invaded the city in 1534. They destroyed many Inca buildings and built their own city on top of what remained, and Cusco became a base for Spanish expansion in South America. The city remained an important political center after Peru declared its independence in 1821. It has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1983.

The stamp is from a 2007 set of four on invertebrates. This one is the elephant beetle (Megasoma sp.)


Thank you Haru!!