Cuzco and London

Why was Cuzco Founded

There are four origin myths regarding Cuzco passed on through Incan generations. The first, Tici Viracocha of Colina de las Ventanas in Pacaritambo sent forth his four sons and four daughters to establish a village. Sinchi Roca was born to Manco and Ocllo, and Sinchi Roca is the person who finally led them to the valley of Cuzco where they founded their new village. The second, the sun god Inti ordered Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo to emerge from the depths of Lake Titicaca and found the city of Cuzco. They traveled by means of underground caves until reaching Cuzco where they established Hurin Cuzco, or the first dynasty of the Kingdom of Cuzco.In the third origin myth, an Inca sun god told his wife that he was lonely. She proposed that he create a civilization to worship him and keep him company. He saw this as a wise plan and carried it out. The Inca were born from Lake Cuzco and populated the Andes and worshiped their sun god. In the final origin myth, Manco Capac who was the son of the sun, and his sister Mama Occlo, the daughter of the moon, were sent by the sun to look for a place to build an empire. They were to tell when they were at the right place by carrying a special rod with them at all times. Wherever the rod sank into the ground, this was where they were to create a new city, Cuzco being the place where the rod sank into the ground.

Why was London Founded

Londinium was established as a civilian town by the Romans about seven years after the invasion of AD 43, and believed to be a trading port by merchants o9n the tidel Thames around 47 AD. Early Roman London occupied a relatively small area, roughly equivalent to the size of Hyde Park. In around AD 60, it was destroyed by the Iceni led by their queen Boudica. However, the city was quickly rebuilt as a planned Roman town and recovered after perhaps 10 years, the city growing rapidly over the following decades. During the 2nd century Londinium was at its height and replaced Colchester as the capital of Roman Britain (Britannia). Its population was around 60,000 inhabitants. It boasted major public buildings, including the largest basilica north of the Alps, temples, bath houses, an amphitheatre and a large fort for the city garrison. Political instability and recession from the 3rd century onwards, however, led to a slow decline.

At some time between 190 and 225 AD the Romans built the defensive London Wall around the landward side of the city. The wall was about 3 kilometres (2 miles) long, 6 metres (20 ft) high, and 2.5 metres (8 ft) thick. In the late 3rd century, Londinium was raided on several occasions by Saxon pirates.



How Geography Played a Role in Cuzco

Cuzco is geographically diverse in its setting. It is located 11,200 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains. It has mountains, plains, deep valleys, and canyons. Along these deep valleys and canyons flow rivers, such as the Urubamba and Apurimac rivers, that influences a setting for agriculture and distribution of local population. It was prosperous due to its agriculture, cattle raising, and mining and a lot has to do with the river valleys surrounding the city. There were four major roads that led out of Cuzco that were set up intricately along the landscape of it. These roads proved to be very important because it formed a network to the rest of the empire that allowed information and provisions to be sent with no trouble. There was not a high risk for people to experience hunger due to the successful road system. It is currently one of the oldest inhabited cities in the continent of South America.

How Geography Played a Role in London

Both the city of London and the city of Westminster have city status while the City of London and the remainder of the Greater London are considered as ceremonial counties. The current area of Greater London has incorporated areas that were once part of the counties of Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire. The status of London being considered as the capital of England has never been established or officially confirmed through legal documents. The capital of England was moved to London from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the royal court, and thus the political capital of the nation. The position of it was created through constitutional convention. The Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London. The small, ancient City of London once held the whole settlement. But as the urban city expanded the city resisted with being entangled with the suburbs and thus emerged with having different purpose. Part of the Greater London is covered by the London post town. The Metropolitan Green Belt prevents an outward expansion from the city. But there are some areas where it has extended beyond set boundaries in the city thus defining the urban area of Greater London. Beyond this is the vast London commuter belt. Greater London is split for some purposes into Inner London and Outer London. The city is split by the River Thames into North and South, with an informal Central London area in its interior. Modern London stands crossways with Thames, its primary geographical feature; it is a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The Thames Valley is a floodplain that is surrounded by gently rolling hills such as Parliament Hill, Addington Hills, and Primrose Hill. A larger area, referred to as the London Metropolitan Region or the London Metropolitan Agglomeration covers an area of 8,382 square kilometres (3,236 sq mi) has a population of 12,653,500.

How Cuzco was Layed Out

It is located in the Andes Mountains of Peru, and was the capital of the Inca Empire (13th century-1532). Many believe that Cuzco was planned to be in the shape of a puma, a sacred animal to the culture. Under the Inca, the city had two sectors: the Urin and Hanan. Each was further divided to encompass two of the four provinces. Cuzco is near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. This made previous development difficult because the infrastructure was to be spread throughout the flat areas of the city. Although much of the city was destroyed by earthquakes in both 1650 and 1950, many of the impressive archeological remains surrounding Cuzco have been restored. It is also the archeological capital of Peru and the Americas with much of the city built around the historic sites and monuments in an attempt to save as much of the historical image as possible.



How London was Layed Out

The Thames River has had a major influence on the development of London. The city began on the Thames' north bank and for a long time the main focus of the city remained in that area. For many centuries The London Bridge was the only bridge in or close to the city. When more bridges were built in the 18th century, the city expanded in all directions as the flat rolling countryside was perfect for future growth.

How Culture Influenced Cuzco and How Cuzco Influenced Culture

The geographical conditions at Cuzco resulted in distinctive physical developments in the Inca people, who were known for their small stature and stocky build. Because of the high altitudes, they had unique lung developments, greater lung capacity, and a slower heart rate.

There were over 360 natural springs in the areas surrounding Cuzco; the people sculpted natural rock and added stonework to create fountains from the natural material. Their carvings functioned to show both the Inca’s respect for nature and their command over it.

The Inca road system was hugely significant as well; the Inca army was the most powerful in the area at its time, so it was necessary to build roads that allowed for quick movement as well as construct shelters along the city borders to act as supply houses. This road system was the key to farming success, which in turn added to Cuzco’s overall dominance at the time because it allowed for the distribution of food over long distances. Llamas were the primary source of transportation because the Incas hadn’t developed the wheel yet. Rope bridges also made it possible for the transportation of messages and materials, creating a type of postal service in their mountain society.

In terms of art and architecture, ceramics was the most important of the Inca arts because it was a way for the city to record the most basic scenes of everyday life. They didn’t have a written language, so they had to rely on ceramics and architectural design to provide insight into their culture.

Much of people’s daily lives revolved around serving the gods, so the high priests and priestesses needed places to make daily offerings to the gods, to cook for them, to weave fine clothes, etc. Also present were institutions where children of rulers from other regions came to learn about Inca administration, and buildings that served as meeting points for the leaders of the four provinces that made up the Inca Empire.

How Culture Influenced London and How London Influenced Culture

London is a modern authority, but it preserves its historical legacy in all of its historic buildings like ancient civic offices. In many of the modern buildings, and the city’s overall use of space, it can be seen that London is one of the largest investors of art and culture in the U.K. In their patronage of the arts, culture and heritage, they have been trying to send a message that they are an international leader. The city has commissioned public art to enhance the street scene while maintaing its green spaces. There are many works highlighting the diverse cultural activity in places like museums and galleries. London’s educational institutions have also added to it’s reputation as a leader in international business and finance.

Being known for its large population, London has many problems with congestion and reliability of transportation throughout history. That led to the advent of the London Underground, and the city’s trademarks red double-decker buses. The London Heathrow Airport is one of the worlds busiest for international traffic, feeding the diversity in the culture and influx of people.

London might best be known for its entertainment district—the renowned art and fashion schools, festivals, parades, literary centers, and concerts. There are numerous buildings that serve entertainment purposes and cater to audiences of all ages—from punk to classical music. The 

city structure perpetuates this popular culture in London as many of the public places such as parks throughout the city are used as concert venues.

The variety of food establishments, institutions, and churches exist because of the ethnically diverse population in the city that date back to the 1950s. Lots of businesses cater to diversity adding to its popularity as a tourist destination.

What allowed Cuzco to Grow, Flourish, and Decline

As the capital of the Incan empire Cuzco grew as the empire expanded, benefiting from the riches gained with each conquest and addition to its population. After the Spanish invasion led by Pizarro, many Inca were killed, and the Spanish built over the city. They destroyed most of the temples to create monasteries and lavish buildings. The former great capital of the empire became the center of the Spanish missionary work in the Andean region. After the Spanish conquered the city, it once again began to flourish under Spanish rule via mining, agriculture, raising livestock, and trade with the Spanish.

What allowed London to Grow, Flourish, and Decline

Originally London was a city of the Roman Empire. After the Roman Empire’s collapse in the 5^th century London was essentially deserted. In the 6^th century Anglo Saxons began to settle an area near the former Roman city, Londinium. After repeated attacks by the Vikings, the Saxons moved back to Londinium for protection via the city’s walls. This became the location of today’s London, England. London began to grow into England’s largest city and center of commerce. Once England was released of its church ownership there was much commercial growth. England became primary port in the North Sea by 1530, leading to great growth in population. London became the world’s largest city from 1831 to 1925, and today one of the most prominent cities in Europe. Though London was a very prosperous city throughout history, it did have periods of decline. The plague killed nearly one third of its population during the Middle Ages, along with The Great Fire of London requiring ten years of recovery as it had destroyed much of the city. As London grew in the 19^th century, cholera outbreaks took thousands of lives.