Cusco, Peru · Travel Poster

Not just a view, the heritage behind it. Ella writes about the place, its hidden history, and the details that never make it into the guidebooks, all printed on the poster.

Cusco was designed as a puma. The Inca emperor Pachacutec laid out the ancient capital so that the fortress of Sacsayhuamán formed the animal's head, the rivers Tullumayo and Huatanay shaped its body, and the point where they meet, Pumaqchupan, formed its tail. The puma was sacred to the Incas, a symbol of strength and protection, and the whole city was built as a piece of cosmic order made from streets and stone. You cannot see the shape from the ground. It only reveals itself from above, a plan that was hidden in plain sight for the people who walked it every day.

An original illustration, available in colour or black and white, created for the Ella's Adventures travel poster series.

No frame included.

Please note that, to protect the original artwork from copyright infringement, the images shown on this website are low resolution. The poster you receive is printed in high resolution, with all the detail and clarity of the original.