Once called the "Navel of the World" by its Inca rulers, Cusco remains today a city that blends colonial Spanish charm with older, more austere remnants of pre-Columbian glory. One can see the foundations of Inca structures on many of its city streets today. Located 350 miles SE of Lima in the Andes Mountains at 11,024 feet elevation, Cusco the "Archaeological Capital of South America" that was once the capital of a vast Inca empire and was also known as "the City of the Sun". Major earthquakes struck Cusco in 1650 and 1950, destroying many of the colonial and republican buildings. Only the original Inca structures remained intact...a monument to works bordering on eternity. Surrounding Cusco to the east, north, and west, the valley is one of the most important archaeological regions in Peru. At 1200 feet lower in elevation than Cusco, the markets, ruins and spectacular landscapes of the Inca Sacred Valley are accessible by well maintained, safe roadways and railways. Surrounding Cusco are the ruins of Kenko, Puca-Pucara, Tambomachay and the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. Machu Picchu "the lost city" discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, is reached by a fascinating train journey from Cusco.