Cusco

Way up high, where the clouds tickle the green mountaintops, there is a special city. The air is cool and fresh. My streets are made of smooth stones, and my houses have happy red roofs that shine in the sun. I am a city that touches the sky. I am Cusco.

I was built a very, very long time ago by the Inca people. They stacked my big stones together so perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. They had a great leader named Pachacuti who made me a big, important city in the 1400s. The Inca people thought I looked like a strong, sleeping puma, a big mountain cat. My head was a mighty fort, and my body was made of homes and big squares where people would sing and dance.

After a long time, new people came to live with me in the 1530s. These were the Spanish people. They saw my strong stone walls and decided to build their homes and churches right on top. Now, my old Inca walls hold up new houses with bright colors. It is like I am wearing my old clothes and my new clothes all at once. I love how the old and the new live together here.

Today, my heart is still beating with happiness. Music plays in my squares, and children laugh on my stone streets. Friends from all over the world come to visit me. On December 9th, 1983, I became a very special place for the whole world to protect and love. I am a city where old stories and new smiles meet. I hope you can come say hello one day.