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NAME OF THE CITY.-
There is some uncertainty about the correct name
of the city. According to some chroniclers, in
the first centuries of the existence of this
most important city in pre-Columbian
South-America, its name was Akamama that
according to Guaman Poma de Ayala means "chicha's
mother" (chicha is a fermented corn beer).
Possibly it was Aqhamama -in the modern Quechua
spelling- or "chicha mother". Surely that name
became useless by the beginning of the Inkan
development. When this was the ancient Capital
of the Tawantinsuyo, it was named as Qosqo, word
that is translated as "navel" or "center". That
is the regular name for any Quechua speaking
Andean Man. After the Spanish invasion in 1533
the name was transformed into Cuzco, word that
according to the Spanish language dictionary is
contemptuous, meaning "hypocrite", "humpback"
and "small dog". This was a way to minimize or
satirize the name of the city. Later the name
was changed into
Cusco, because over here "z" is
not pronounced as in Spain. By the end of the XX
century a very strong social movement is willing
to preserve the original name of this ancient
city; thus since June 20, 1990, the City's
Municipality by means of Town Council Agreement
Nº 078-A/MC-SG-90 stated that the official name
is Cusco.
POPULATION.-
The population in cusco City by the beginning of
the XXI century is projected to be 300,000
inhabitants. The annual growth rate is
approximately 4%. In 1821 after 3 centuries of
Spanish colonial administration, this city had
about 40,000 people. In the Tawantinsuyo's
apogee it should had between 225 to 300 thousand
inhabitants.
ALTITUDE.-
The altitude is 3,400 meters above sea level
(11,150 feet). Some persons not used to the high
altitude get problems as a consequence of the
oxygen scarcity. There is an inverse
relationship: the higher the altitude, the
smaller the amount of oxygen. That phenomenon
makes changes in people who live in high
altitudes; they develop their hearts and lungs
bigger. Their blood contains a higher amount of
red cells too. Scarcity of oxygen produces in
some people the altitude sickness that is also
known as soroche or sickness of Monge. The
symptoms include sleeplessness, headaches,
increased excitability, shortness of breath, and
a lower threshold of pain and taste. Tendon
reflexes slow down and there may be loss of
weight, thyroid deficiency, lung edema, or
infections. Women may experience dysmenorrhea or
amenorrhea, and many people experience
psychological or mental disturbances. For some
people it may take days, weeks or even years to
adjust to some altitudes.
LATITUDE.-
13° 30' 45". Our latitude indicates that we
should have a tropical or equatorial weather,
but it is not like that.
cusco is cooler because
of its high altitude.
LONGITUDE.-
71° 58' 33". We are 5 hours later than the
Greenwich Mean Time.
TEMPERATURE.-
It is relatively cool. The annual average in the
city is between 10.3° to 11.3° Celsius (50.54°
to 52.34° Fahrenheit). Over here there is some
uniformity in temperature between summer and
winter. Normally it is somewhat cold at
nighttime and during the first hours in the
early morning while that at midday temperature
increases considerably. During the early
mornings in June and July temperature frequently
drops to 5° and 7°C below zero (23° and 19.4°F).
RAINFALL.-
The altitude in which cusco is found and its
proximity to the equator make the city's climate
so special. There are just 2 well-defined
seasons: a dry season and another rainy one. The
dry season is from May to October and the rainy
season from November to April. Generally,
rainfall fluctuates between 600 to 880 mm. per
year, that is between 31.5 to 34.5 inches.
HUMIDITY.-
In the lower section of the cusco Valley there
is an annual humidity average of 64 %.
AREA.-
Peruvian Republic: 1'285,215 Km² (496,221 mile²)
Inka Region: 175,280 Km² (67,676 mile²)
Cusco Department: 76,225 Km² (29,430 mile²)
Cusco Province: 523 Km² (202 mile²)
FLORA.-
The original landscape of the valley in which
the city is located has suffered some important
changes. Pre-Columbian civilizations were
ecologist cultures that learned to respect and
live along with nature. In ancient times the
grounds have been covered with sparse grasses,
ichu (Stipa ichu) a native bunch grass, bushes
and low trees. Among the most important native
plants and bushes are: ñucchu (Salvia
oppositiflora), yerba mora or ccaya-ccaya (Solanum
nigrum), cow's tongue or llaque (Rumex crispus),
male llanten or waqa kallo (Plantago hirtella),
minor nettle or quisa (Urtica urens), yawar
ch'onka (Oenothera rosea), ch'iri-ch'iri (Grindela
boliviana), cancer herb (Stachys bogotensis),
trinitaria or wallwa (Psoralea mexicana),
q'eto-q'eto (Gnaphalium spicatum), wild tobacco
or qhamasayri (Nicotiana paniculata), supai
karko (Nicotiana glauca), dog thornbush or
alkoquiska (Xanthium spinosum), dandelion or
pilli-pilli (Taraxacum officinale), muña (Minthostachys
spicata), chicchipa (Tagetes mandoni), verbena
(Verbena litoralis), t'ankar quiska (Solanum
pseudolicioides), llaulli (Barnadesia horrida),
kantu (Cantua buxifolia) -a bush having red or
yellow flowers that are considered as the
Peruvian national flowers-, marqhu (Ambrosia
peruviana), q'era (Lupinus condesuflorus), manca
p'aki (Eupatorium sternbergianum), rata-rata
(Abutilon arboreum), runto-runto (Calceolaria
cuneiformis), angel's trumpet or floripondio (Datura
arborea), red angel's trumpet (Datura sanguinea),
roq'e (Colletia spinosissima), panti (Cosmos
peucedanifolius), mountain ginger (Canna
iridiflora), achupalla (Pitcairnia ferruginea),
kcayara (Puya herrerrae), aguaimanto (Prunus),
chunta paqpa (Fourcroya andina), century plant
or paqpa (Agave americana), prickly pear or tuna
(Opuntia ficus indica), p'ata quiska (Opuntia
exaltata), jawaq'ollay or giant cactus (Trichocereus
cuzcoensis), atoq-wakachi (Opuntia tunicata),
niwa (Cortadería rudiuscula), ch'illca (Baccharis
polyanta), maych'a or árnica (Senecio
pseudotites), begonia or achankarai (Begonia
sp.), etc.
Among the most important
native trees are: chachacomo (Escallonia
resinosa), molle or false pepper (Schinus molle),
kiswar (Buddleia longifolia or incana), qolle
(Buddleia coriácea), elderberry or sauco (Sambucus
peruviana), capuli cherry (Physalis peruviana),
lloq'e (Kageneckia lanceolata), tara (Caesalpinia
spinosa), huayruro (Citharexylum herrerae),
alder tree or lambran (Alnus jorulensis), cedar
(Cedrela herrerae), coral tree or pisonay (Erythrina
falcata), weeping willow (Salix humboldtiana),
waranway (Tecoma sambucifolia), q'euña (Polylepis
incana or racemosa), etc.
Since colonial days people
from the city have been exterminating slowly
many bushes and almost all of the valley's
native trees for use as firewood. Today the
trees that dominate our valleys are eucalyptus
(Eucalyptus globulus), imported from Australia
in the 1880s. Another element that has changed
the original landscape of the valley is the
grass known as kikuyo (Pennisetun clandestinum),
grass native from Eritrea and Abyssinia -present
day Ethiopia- that was brought from Kenya and
planted first in the cusco Valley in 1928. In
the very beginning it was imported with
ornamental purposes and as cattle pasture. Today
it grows wildly even in the very high Andean
Mountains as a pest that reduces the farmlands.
It is appreciated by cattlemen but hated by
farmers.
OROGRAPHY .-
The cusco Valley is located by the mid-west of
the Peruvian Andes, not so far away from what is
known as the "Vilcanota Node". Mountains around
it contain mainly sedimentary rocks. However,
there is an important limestone formation and
some "stocks" or outcrop igneous formations.
Among the most important mountains surrounding
cusco City, named clockwise are: on the northern
side Saqsaywaman, Pukamoqo, Socorro and farther
away Senqa (4400 mts., 14432 ft.) and the
Fortaleza (4193 mts., 13750 ft.). Advancing to
the east side are the Pikol (4482 mts., 14700
ft.) and the range of Pachatusan (4842 mts.,
15880 ft.). Towards the Southeast are the Machu
Loma, the mythological Wanakauri (4080 mts.,
13382 ft.), Santa Ana; farther south is the
Anawarque (4050 mts., 13284 ft.), Qachona, and
closer the Choqo, Araja, Muyu-Orqo and the
Condoroma which closer side to the city is named
Araway Qhata where today the sign "Viva el
Peru"
("Long life for Peru") is found; to the
southwest are the Pukín, Waman Charpa and
further away the Mama Simona (4300 mts., 14105
ft.). Dominating the western side are the
K'illki and Picchu (3820 mts., 12530 ft.). On
the top of the Picchu Mountain (Machupicchu) today many
microwave antennas are placed.
Besides, in the cusco Region
there are also some very important mountain
chains, standing out the Cordillera (Range of
Mountains) of Vilcanota towards the city's east
and which highest peak is the Ausangate over
6372 mts. (20905 ft.); the Cordillera of
Urubamba towards the northwest with its highest
peak La Veronica over 5682 mts. (18641 ft.); and
the Cordillera of Vilcabamba toward the west and
which highest summit is the
Salkantay over 6271
mts. (20574 ft.).
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