By Karen and Duane Sherer Stoltzfus
Peru SST Co-Directors, 2014-2015
More than 500 years ago, Ollantaytambo served as an important rest stop and administrative and religious center for the Incas. For our group, it proved to be a perfect place to stop after visiting the Incan sites at Chinchero and Moray and before spending a day at Machu Picchu.
Lea and Courtney during their climb to the colcas, or storage houses, above Ollantaytambo.
It’s an enviable rest stop (and a 90-minute train ride from the town of Aguas Calientes, from which you can climb or take a bus to Machu Picchu). The weather is warmer here than in most of the Andes due to its relatively low elevation (2,800 meters, or about 9,186 feet) and placement in a protected valley.
Wherever you walk, along narrow cobblestone streets, you hear the sound of water; whether from the river that runs along the half-mile road that leads to the train station, or from the mountain water that runs through the curbside, rock-lined channels of the residential quarters.
Tuesday morning, after a substantial breakfast, Amadeo led us first on a challenging climb to see the colcas, or storage houses, that the Incas placed high above town, an ideal setting in which to preserve corn and potatoes and alpaca jerky.
We could see agricultural terraces spread all over the hillsides below us, taking advantage of micro climates in which to grow different varieties of crops. Peru, the land of the first potato, has developed more than 500 varieties of potatoes and 200 varieties of corn.
Later that morning we climbed the huge fortress (Temple Hill) that overlooks the town, a fortress fashioned by Inca leaders as a defense against invaders and a place for rest and religious observance in the center of what local people call the Sacred Valley. Although unfinished, the stonework is impressive.
A view of Ollantaytambo and the Incan fortress on the other side of town.
Amadeo noted that the rock for the walls was quarried from a mountainside six kilometers away, each block pulled by rope across makeshift rollers of wood or small stones. The arrival of the Spaniards ended the work, prematurely. He showed us a mighty rock, resting alone, that never made it to a wall.
After lunch, we made our way to the train station to catch our train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. Once there, students were given money to purchase a picnic lunch for their day at Machu Picchu.
We met later in the evening for a cozy supper together in a menu restaurant. Following the meal, we sang happy birthday to Courtney who would be celebrating her 20th birthday the next day at Machu Picchu.
Courtney makes a wish before blowing out a candle to start a new decade of life.
Amadeo had purchased the chocolate cake from a bakery in Cusco that morning and we wanted to eat it while it was fresh. Indeed, sharing the cake signaled the start to Courtney’s birthday as most of us went back to our hostal to get a good night’s sleep before an early wake-up call the next morning!
Amadeo describes the role of the colcas as refrigeration units as we prepare to climb.Gutters channel water through most of the cobblestone streets in Ollantaytambo.A view of Ollantaytambo from the vantage of the colca side.Climbing up to the colca storage units.It’s a steep hike up to the colcas, called Pinkuylluna.A view of Ollantaytambo and the Temple Hill (often called the Fortress) on the other side of town.View from the trail.Looking down into the courtyards of family homes in Ollantaytambo.A view of the Pinkuylluna storage houses, on the way up.Lea and Courtney pose overlooking Ollantaytambo.Micah stands in the middle of a narrow Ollantaytambo street. Jo makes her way along a narrow path.Elizabeth takes a break after a long climb.MariaIke and Lea take a break from hiking.Courtney peaks out from behind a stone wall.Lea and Courtney during their climb to the colcas, or storage houses, above Ollantaytambo.A group photo once we reached to colcas.Amadeo and Christian leading the way to higher reaches of the Ollantaytambo fortress.Christian overlooking the town of Ollantaytambo.A view from the Incan terraces of Pumatallis at Ollantaytambo.Looking down over the terraces toward the town of Ollantaytambo and the colcas beyond.Climbing up.Amadeo said that the Incas are believed to have used the protrusions in the stone to track the passage of time and seasons. Amadeo decribed how stones were hauled from a quarry several kilometers away.Jo and Courtney stop for a photo in a doorway.A view of the markets below.Amadeo talks about the role of this stone chair near the Temple of the Sun.Jo, Liz and Ammon at the Temple of the Sun.Enjoying the view at the Temple of the Sun.Micah and Ike relax at the Temple of the Sun.Many fields surround Ollantaytambo.A group photo in front of the granite Wall of the Six Monoliths at the Temple of the Sun, thanks to Elizabeth’s tripod.A llama post.Courtney continues her climb.Micah sits with a view of Ollantaytambo behind him.Lots of flowers are blooming this time of year, and there’s plenty of ‘tuna’ fruit on the cactuses.Walking across the terraces at Temple Hill in Ollantaytambo.Many butterflies enjoy the flowers this time of year.Some of the many sacred fountains at the base of the terraces in Ollantaytambo.A mountain stream and fields near the archeological site at Ollantaytambo.More terraces at Ollantaytambo.The Bath of the Princess at the base of the ruins at Ollantaytambo.Fuentes de agua, or water fountains.Water fountain in Ollantaytambo.The interior of the enclosure for the worship of water.The interior of the enclosure for the worship of water.Excavations of a pre-Inca site are currently underway.Excavations of a pre-Inca site are currently underway.A secluded place for lunch in Ollantaytambo.Ike befriends a cat at lunch.Ammon and Courtney wait to board to PeruRail train to Aguas Calientes.Water running fast and rough in the Urubamba River alongside the train.Maria en route to Aguas Calientes by train.The cake. Chocolate fudge from Cusco.Courtney makes a wish before blowing out a candle to start a new decade of life.
