If one day you finally make up your mind to visit South America, you are likely to visit the worldrenowned ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu. To get to Machu Picchu, you will surely first arrive in the ancient city of Cusco, which is the historical capital of Peru.

In Cusco, the Palacio del Inka, a member of the Luxury Collection brand under the Marriott Group, is undoubtedly a unique choice for accommodation.

Originally, this was an important site of the Inca civilization in the early 15th century, the Temple of the Sun, Qoricancha, which was later destroyed by the Spanish colonial conquerors in the 16th century and rebuilt as the family residence of the colonial governor.

This courtyardstyle mansion now with a Spanish style has withstood nearly 500 years of wind and rain and has finally transformed into a luxury hotel, now a true epitome of Peru‘s historical culture.

Cusco was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. This ancient city is the cradle of the Inca civilization, which became the capital of the Inca Empire in the 13th century until it was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.

On November 15, 1533, the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro, who captured the Inca emperor in the Battle of Cajamarca, first entered Cusco. The magnificence of the architecture and the neatness of the streets in the Inca capital amazed the Spanish. The exquisiteness of the stone carving surpassed that of Spain, and in the most majestic building, the Temple of the Sun, Qoricancha, the priests‘ quarters were inlaid with gold.

The Spanish plundered the wealth and wantonly destroyed the temples and palaces of the Incas. On the ruins, they rebuilt the churches and residences of the Spanish with the stones of the Incas, turning Cusco into a colonial stronghold and the center for spreading Christianity. Thus, a peculiar style that is based on the ancient city of Cusco and integrates the architectural style of Spanish colonization was formed and has been preserved to this day.

The Palacio del Inka is a typical example of this peculiar style. This building is just a few steps away from the Temple of the Sun, Qoricancha, and was the mansion of Gonzalo Pizarro, the brother of the conqueror Francisco Pizarro, and has long served as the Peruvian governor‘s mansion.

The stone walls and stone floor of the first floor of the Inca Palace come from the ruins of the Inca temple, and the upper buildings, including arches, stairs, patios, and colonnades, are in the Spanish colonial style. The first batch of colonialstyle stone pillars made by the Incas is here, having withstood the passage of time

In 2013, after a twoyear extensive renovation and transformation worth 15 million US dollars, the Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Cusco, opened its doors to welcome guests. Before this, the building where the hotel is located had been taken over by the Peruvian government in the mid20th century and had served as the headquarters of the Governor‘s Museum for decades, and was later held by the largest hotel group in Peru, Libertador Hotels, Resorts & Spas.

The renovation design was led by the Latin American architectural and interior design company Caparra Entelman & Asociados, in collaboration with local Peruvian artists and craftsmen, truly reflecting the rich history of this ancient building in Cusco, where the encounter between Inca culture and Spanish culture is poignant.

There are a total of 195 art collections in the Inca Palace Hotel, covering hundreds of years of history from the preInca era, the Inca era, the colonial era, and the republican era. This includes 60 original works of the Cusco School of Painting, Escuela Cusqueña, displayed in the lobby corridor and some guest rooms, where the archangels with bows are interwoven with the deities of the Andes.

The lobby under the glass dome, with its skyblue color, pays tribute to the church of Andahuaylillas near Cusco, which is known as the ”Sistine Chapel of the Americas” for its ceiling paintings.

The 203 guest rooms provide both modern comfort and cultural heritage. From handpainted ceilings, gilded antiques, vintage furniture to original works of art and rich textiles, they evoke the historical and characteristic beauty of Cusco.

The courtyard paved with ancient Inca stone slabs is a direct embodiment of the fusion of Inca relics and Spanish colonial style. In the four corners of the courtyard, there are four busts of a certain Spanish governor‘s family hidden in history.

On one side of the courtyard, the Inti Raymi Peruvian Flavor Restaurant is open only to guests. The exposed granite stone walls continue the echoes of history. The delicious traditional Peruvian cuisine makes guests think: did the ancient Incas make similar exquisite meals for the priests in the Temple of the Sun next to the hotel

The ancient Inca stone wall has continued to this day, and in a corner that is not easily noticed, there is a treasure of the Inca Palace. It is the only octagonal stone made of green diorite, a rare stone that also appears in important sites such as Machu Picchu. The Incas reserved it for the most important and sacred places because they believed that this stone is the connection between the material world and the spiritual world.

A few steps away, the grand Temple of the Sun of the Incas has long become ruins, but the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo of Guzmán built by the later Spanish still stands, and the bell in the bell tower still rings through the sky.