according to inca legend, the city was built by sapa inca pachacuti, the man who transformed the kingdom of cusco from a sleepy city-state into the vast empire of tahuantinsuyu. but archaeological evidence points to a slower, more organic growth of the city beginning before pachacutieven though he did initiate growth in the city after defeating the chancas as a monument to incan glory. there was however a city plan, and two rivers were changed to flow around the city.