Cusco Iri ndiro guta guru redhipatimendi iro rine zita rimwe chete, riri munzvimbo yekumaodzanyemba kwakadziva kumabvazuva kwenyika, inosanganisira nzvimbo dzemakomo nesango. Zita rinobva kuQuechua Qusqu kana Qosqo zvinoreva kuti nzvimbo, guvhu, bhandi; Izvi zvinodaro nekuti, maererano neInca mythology, nyika dziri pasi, dzinoonekwa uye dzakakwirira dzakasangana pairi. Kubva ipapo, guta rave kudaidzwa kuti guvhu repasi.
Pakasvika vakundi veSpain, zita ravo rakanzi Castilianized kuCuzco kana Cusco. Mazita ese ari maviri anoshandiswa kusvika 1993, apo zita reCusco rinoitwa zviri pamutemo, kunyangwe munyika dzinotaura chiSpanish ichiri kunzi Cuzco. Musi waNovember 15, 1533, guta reCuzco rakavambwa naFrancisco Pizarro, ichisimbisa Plaza deArmas munzvimbo yainochengetedza kusvika ikozvino uye yaive zvakare nzvimbo huru panguva yeInca Humambo. Pizarro akapa Cuzco zita reCiudad Noble y Grande, musi waMarch 23, 1534.
Musi waZvita 9, 1983 muParis, UNESCO inozivisa guta reCusco seCultural Heritage yeHumanity, ichiita iyo inonyanya kukosha nzvimbo yekushanya muPeru. Pakati peguta zvinochengetedza zvivakwa, zvikwere uye migwagwa kubva kunguva-dzeSpanishi nguva pamwe nekuvakwa kwekoloni. Pakati pezvinhu zvinokwezva zveguta pane izvi: El Barrio de San Blas uko mhizha nemashopu avo ezvitoro zvakaunganidzwa, zvichiita kuti ive imwe yenzvimbo dzinoyevedza muguta; Hatun Rumiyoq Street iyo inotungamira kune Barrio de San Blas uye kwaunogona kuona iro rinozivikanwa ibwe remakona gumi nemaviri.
Zvakangofanana zvinoshamisa iConvent neChechi yeLa Merced uko Renaissance Baroque masitayera machira anomira, pamwe neaya makwaya, mifananidzo yekoloni uye mifananidzo yehuni; Kune zvakare Cathedral, iyo Plaza de Armas, iyo Kereke yeKambani, iyo Qoricancha uye iyo Santo Domingo Convent.