Club Cienciano is a historic Peruvian football institution based in the imperial city of Cusco, currently competing in Liga 1, the top flight of Peruvian football. The team's home is the iconic Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega, located at high altitude in the Andes. Founded in 1901, Cienciano is one of Peru's oldest clubs, famously wearing red shirts with a white diagonal sash. The club's name derives from the National College of Sciences of Cusco. While domestic league success has been elusive, Cienciano's peak era is legendary: in the 2000s, they achieved unprecedented international glory by winning the Copa Sudamericana in 2003 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2004, defeating giants like River Plate and Boca Juniors. This made them the first and only Peruvian club to win continental titles. The modern era has seen them oscillate between the first and second divisions, often relying on their formidable home altitude advantage. The club is a profound source of regional pride, with a fanatical fan base that celebrates its unique place in South American football history as giant-killers from the heights of Cusco.