Plaza de las Nazarenas is Cusco's most elegant small square — a quiet, cobblestoned plaza one block from the Plaza de Armas that is surrounded by the finest colonial mansions in the city, now converted into boutique hotels, restaurants, and the Museo de Arte Precolombino. The square's atmosphere — calm, refined, and removed from the tourist traffic of the main plaza — makes it the place where Cusco's beauty is most concentrated and least commercialised.
The colonial buildings around the plaza sit on Inca foundations (as everywhere in central Cusco), and the mashup of perfectly fitted Inca stonework supporting elaborately carved colonial portals is visible at every turn. The Belmond Palacio Nazarenas hotel occupies a former convent whose cloistered courtyard and colonial architecture have been converted into one of the most atmospheric luxury hotels in South America.
The streets radiating from the plaza — Calle Pumacurco, Calle Siete Culebras, and the alleys climbing toward San Blas — contain small galleries, artisan shops, and the restaurants (including the MAP Café, in the pre-Columbian art museum courtyard) that cater to visitors seeking Cusco's cultural depth rather than its tourist surface.
Verified Facts
The Belmond Palacio Nazarenas occupies a former convent
The plaza is one block from the main Plaza de Armas
Colonial buildings sit on Inca foundations throughout the area
The Museo de Arte Precolombino faces the plaza
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Plaza de las Nazarenas, Cusco
