The Cathedral is one of the few colonial churches to have survived the earthquakes.  Begun in 1560, it was built on the site of an Incan palace. The plan of the cathedral is based on that of the Gothic cathedral of Seville.  It contains all the elements of the Spanish Baroque style.  It is interesting to note that the rectangular plan of the Cathedral of Seville derives from the form of the Spanish mosque.  Seville's cathedral was built on the foundations of that city's great mosque.
 
The Cathedral of Cuzco displays a blending of Baroque and Renaissance aspects.  The interior is characterized by a serene and majestic space which is typical a of a style popularized in Spain by Juan de Herrera.  This trait found in Cuzco is unlike the ornate Baroque structures of Mexico.  The exterior of the cathedral is Baroque in style.  The portal seems to thrust upward, the ornamentation is concentrated around the doors, and the facade has the appearance of a stage backdrop.  These characterstics are typical of Baroque structures. The Cathedral of Cuzco served as the example for local architecture of the seventeenth century.