Cuzco, Peru: Navel of the World

Although the area was inhabited long before the Incas made it their capital, the Navel of the World, Inca builders laid out the city in the form of a puma. The fortress of Sacsayhuaman was the head, the plaza of Huacaypata was the belly, or navel, and the converging Huatanay and Tullumayo rivers as the tail. The ancient plaza was the core of the suyos, the Four Regions of the Inca Empire reaching from Quito, Ecuador to northern Chile.

Located 3350 m above sea level, Cuzco is cold and dry with two seasons. The rainy season extends from November to March, summer south of the equator, when the temperature ranges from 11ºC to 13ºC. The dry season extends April to October, winter, with bright sunny days and very cold nights, when the temperature averages 9°C.