A number of characteristics have made Cuzco (see Figure 1) (or Cusco or Qsquo-each spelling has its enthusiastic adherents, but I shall use the older conventional orthography) quite unique as a tourist destination. Its high elevation makes it one of the highest large cities in the world, indeed, the highest outside Bolivia. It dominates one of the most scenic mountain areas

Pierre L. van den Beighe is affiliated with the University of Washington, Seattle, W A

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of the world, rivaled only by the Himalayas. As the former capital of the Tahuantinsuyo-the "Inca Empire"-it is at the heart of an archeological zone with few rivals in the Americas, and, indeed, it is itself literally built on Inca foundations. Finally, Cuzco offers one of the best preserved and impressive ensembles of Spanish colonial architecture between California and the Tierra del Fuego.