Monument to Pachacutec

The bronze Pachacutec statue is 11.5 m tall and stands on a pedestal 75 ft above the surrounding area. He’s pretty easy to find. Just head downhill along Ave El Sol to the big statue in the middle of the big roundabout. This monument is covered by the Cusco ticket and you get some nice views of the city from here.

As you climb up the 9 levels of the base, you find interesting things to read on each level. Most levels have at least 2 large, colorful signs describing the life and accomplishments of the Inca leaders, roughly in chronological order. The signs are in both Spanish and English and are pretty interesting.

From the top, you can see much of Cusco including the airport, the mountains surrounding Cusco, the words on the hill slopes, church spires, rooftops, another statue, the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, and the crazy driving right below you in the roundabout. You really get a nice view of the city and its not very crowded.