We departed Lake Titicaca on the Andean Explorer train for the ten hour ride from Puno to Cuzco. A beautifully unique journey through the altiplano. 
We stopped mid-way through the trip, the highest point, (14,000 feet), where we were greeted by locals at La Raya. There were four dining cars,
and an open-air observation bar-car. The coaches are decorated in the style of the great Pullman trains of the 1920's.
CUZCO
In the earthquake of 1650 most of Cuzco's Spanish structures were damaged but the Inca foundtions remained, and under the patronage of Bishop Manuel de Molllinedo y Angulo, the city was rebuilt. He developed the Cuzco art style which can be sen in the local churches and museum. The hotels also brim with centures-old Cuzco School paintings.
Plaza de Armas 
In Inca times, the square was mainly used for ceremonial purposes. Francisco Pizarro claimed Cuzco for Spain at the Plaza de Armas, 
and Tupac Amaru II the leader of the indigenous uprising, was beheaded here in 1781.
Museo de Arte Precolombino
The former Inca ceremonial court was transformed into a mansion for the Spanish conquistador, Alonso Diaz, in 1580. In 2003 it was converted into the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.
The Mochica gallery contains standout ceramic pieces. Also on display are geometrically decorated, sculptural ceramics by the Wari.
Koricancha, meaning the "golden enclosure" was buildt to honor Inti or the Sun God. It was the richest Inca temple and had gold plated walls. The garden featured life - sized gold and silver statures of animals, local trees and corn stalks.
The church and convent of Santa Domingo were build on top of the Inca shrine. The building brings the two cultures together.
Iglesia de la Compania
Constructed in 1571on the palace of Huayna Capac, the 11th Inka, La Compania had to be reguildt after the erthquake of 1650. Considered one of the best examples of Colonial Baroque architecture in Peru, it features a carved stone facade, high cedar altar covered in gold leaf, sculptures, and a number of Cuzco School paintings. 
Sacsayhuaman
Sacsayhuaman is an impressive example of Inka military architecture. It is made up of three large terraces which overlap in a zigzag fashion. The enormous granite ramparts stretch about 985 feet weighing as much as 3 tons. So perfectly aligned were the stones that Spanish chroniclers recorded that even a fine knife could not penetrate the joints. Thousands of men were recruited to wrestle the huge stones into place. In designing Cuzco the Inka's imagined it in the shape of a puma with Sacsayhuaman representing the head, and the walls, it's teeth. Cuzco was the body of the animal, and the temple of Koricancha was the tail.
Puca Pucara 
Meaning "red fort" in Quechua, this site was more likely a tambo or rest stop rather than a military post. The complex contains rooms, plazas, paths, aqueducts and lookouts. 
Tipon
The picturesque set of stone canals, terraces, and stairways that make up Tipon are said to be part of a royal hacienda built by the 8th Inka ruler, Wiracocha, as a refuge for his father. According to legend it was once a place of agricultural research and worship. Water is channeled through stone structures, underground aqueducts, and decorative waterfalls, showcasing the Inka's grasp of hydraulics.
Pikillacta
Pikillacta, meaning the City of Fleas, was one of the pre-Inka cities build at the peak of the Wari culture. It was so named because of the numerous 13 ft enclosures that formed a protective garrison. It has almost perfect geometrical design, divided into big rectangular blocks with long straight streets. Walls were originally covered with whitened with gypsum. 
Pisac
One of the most significant Inka ruins is at Pisac.
Inhabited since the 10th-11th century, 
it became an important regional capital once the Inkas arrived. The site's central element is the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon, a ceremonial bathing complex, and designed to track the sun's movements.
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