Inca ruins of Kusicancha, tower of Santo Domingo church in background, Cusco, Peru

Kusicancha was an area of residential housing in the original Inca city, built in a grid layout (called a cancha) with houses facing onto central courtyards. In Cusco these areas were largely destroyed by the Spanish or used as foundations for colonial buildings as happened here. The colonial buildings on this site were taken over by the army in 1934 and known as Cuartel 27 before they fell into disuse in the late 20th century. Investigations have since discovered a large area of canchas with streets and drainage channels which would have occupied most of this part of Cusco. Part of the area has been restored so it is possible to get an idea of how Inca Cusco looked before the conquest.