Travel Photo of the Day 11-16-2012

Fountain and La Compania – Cusco, Peru

There is a beautiful fountain located in the center of the Plaza de Armas which was called ‘Huacaypata’ after its construction during the Inca Empire. The original plaza was twice the current size and functioned as the cultural center of Inca life. It was also located at the exact center of the Inca empire and known as “Tahuatinsuyo” or The Four Quarters of the Earth.  Cuzco, which was the capital of the Inca Empire, was designed in the shape of a Puma to reflect their Inca animal mythology. Historians proclaim the plaza was intentionally built at the location of the heart of the Puma, in the center of the city. The Plaza is surrounded by some of the most beautiful buildings and churches in Cusco. At the southeast corner of the plaza, behind the fountain in the photo, is the La  Compania de Jesus, dubbed the “most beautiful” church in Cusco.