Cusco: History, Former Names & Timeline

Capital of the Inca Empire high in the Andes, called the "navel of the world".

Map showing Cusco in 1500 — Border map for 1500. See the world in 1500.

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<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/city/cusco">Cusco: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Former names of Cusco

From	Name	Note
1100	Qusqu

Timeline of Cusco

Year	Event
1438	Pachacuti comes to power and the Inca expansion begins
1533	Pizarro enters Cusco
1536	Manco Inca rises and besieges Cusco
1650	After an earthquake the city is rebuilt in Spanish style

Who ruled Cusco

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–2 BC	Manioc farmers
1 BC–599	Unclaimed / no data
600–1299	Huari Empire
1300–1491	Andean states and chiefdoms
1492–1599	Inca Empire
1600–1879	Viceroyalty of Peru
1880–today	Peru

Famous people of Cusco

Lived	Person
c. 1418 – 1471	Pachacuti	Sapa Inca
c. 1478 – 1541	Francisco Pizarro	Spanish conquistador
c. 1502 – 1533	Atahualpa	Sapa Inca

Nearby cities

Lima · about 574 km

Questions about Cusco

What was Cusco called in the past?

Cusco has been known as Qusqu (from 1100). Its present name dates from 1100.

Which states have ruled Cusco?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Cusco lies within 6 different states: Manioc farmers, Huari Empire, Andean states and chiefdoms, Inca Empire, Viceroyalty of Peru, Peru.

What are the key dates in the history of Cusco?

1438: Pachacuti comes to power and the Inca expansion begins. 1533: Pizarro enters Cusco. 1536: Manco Inca rises and besieges Cusco. 1650: After an earthquake the city is rebuilt in Spanish style.

Which famous people are connected with Cusco?

Pachacuti (sapa inca, c. 1418 – 1471); Francisco Pizarro (spanish conquistador, c. 1478 – 1541); Atahualpa (sapa inca, c. 1502 – 1533).

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.