Top Ten Cities to Visit in Latin America according Travel + Leisure magazine

As every year, Travel + Leisure magazine presents the results of its World Best Travel survey, after consulting its readers about their experiences on islands, destinations, cruises, spas and airlines, among other travel proposals. In the section of the best cities to visit in Latin America (with the exception of Mexico, the publication places it in the category of North America), Argentina, Colombia and Peru each stayed two places in the Top Ten.

The ranking is made based on the options of the travelers in different reference points such as culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping and the overall global experience.

The city of Cusco, in Peru, was the favorite, partly because it is the closest "big" town to Machu Picchu and where most airlines fly to (from there) tour the Sacred City.

Considered the capital of the Tahuantinsuyo Empire with a great historical and architectural legacy, Cusco is surrounded by green valleys with impressive tourist attractions, culture, gastronomy and tradition. Known as the navel of the world for being the political and territorial center of the Inca Empire, the department of Cusco shows us an impressive geographical variety from natural mountain ranges and reliefs, to rivers such as the Urubamba.

The city of Cusco, located in the Andes mountain range at 3,399 meters above sea level, was declared the Historical Capital of Peru, being an impressive sample of high Inca engineering that had stone as its main tool. Like places like Choquequirao, Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Tambomachay, Ollantaytambo and above all Machu Picchu, an architectural jewel built with the wisdom of the ancient Incas that served as the political, religious and administrative center of the time.

The Top Ten of the best cities to travel in Central and South America, was made up as follows:

1. Cusco, Peru
2. Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. Mendoza, Argentina
5. Quito, Ecuador
6. Rio de Janeiro
7. Cartagena, Colombia
8. Bogotá, Colombia
9. Lima, Peru
10. Valparaíso, Chile