English isn’t widely spoken outside the tourist areas of Peru, so these Spanish words and phrases might come in handy. Spanish is the primary and official language of Peru, followed by Quechua, Aymara, and other indigenous languages. English is not commonly spoken outside of tourist areas.

Adiós is more appropriate when you are saying goodbye to friends or family before a lengthy or permanent absence. If you make good friends in Peru, for example, you would say chau at the end of the day, but you might say adiós (or adiós amigos) when the time comes to leave Peru for good.

Spanish

Quechua

Peruvians use “chompa” almost exclusively when referring to a pullover sweater, although there are other terms in Spanish (see Synonyms, below). Chompa isn’t the only word for “sweater” in Spanish.

Word-by-word. Peruvian. peruano. girl. la niña.

Spanish

Quechua Language

“Most of them still living in the towns of San Sebastian and San Jeronimo, Cusco, Peru, at present, are probably the most homogeneous group of Inca lineage,” says Elward. The same pattern of the Inca descendants was also found in individuals living south to Cusco, mainly in Aymaras of Peru and Bolivia.

noun. a town in the Andes in southern Peru; formerly the capital of the Inca empire. synonyms: Cusco. see more. example of: town.

Former capital city of the Incas, Cusco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins of the old Inca city became the foundation for the Spanish architecture you see today, and many of the stone walls that line the streets were built by the Incas.

The city was constructed according to a definite plan in which two rivers were channeled around the city. Archaeologists have suggested that this city plan was replicated at other sites. The city fell to the sphere of Huáscar during the Inca Civil War after the death of Huayna Capac in 1528.

Believe it or not, Cusco is at an altitude of 3400m (11,154ft) so heading to Pisac or Urubamba at 2,900m (9,514ft) or Machu Picchu at 2,400m (7,874ft) can make a huge difference. After a few days you can then make your way back up to Cusco and will feel a lot better.

It’s a Very Safe City As far as large Latin American cities go, we found Cusco to be and feel incredibly safe, and even wandering around the streets relatively late at night with all our camera equipment, we didn’t feel unsafe.

Altitude sickness can become excruciatingly severe… if you let it. The symptoms start out with lightheadness and continue to headaches, nausea, vomiting and can get even worse. Taking care of yourself before it escalates to that is the most important thing. You may have heard of the pill to prevent altitude sickness.