Glory at 11,000ft: Cusco’s Cienciano aim to bring Peru continental success once again

Cusco is known for tourism.

But the city’s biggest football team is chasing a repeat of a South American title that caused shockwaves more than 20 years ago It was one of those nights when Cusco shifted the spotlight from its tourism engine to football.

At a stadium named after Garcilaso de la Vega – celebrated for his chronicles about the Inca empire – around 30,000 people gathered to witness something far more immediate than nearby Machu Picchu, arguably the best-known archaeological site in the Americas.

Cusco’s biggest team, Cienciano, were set to play in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarter-final, 23 years after they became the first Peruvian club to lift an international trophy.

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