Ollantaytambo, one of the oldest continually-inhabited towns in the Americas.
October 30, 2016
Tuesday, Oct. 11
Tim with the Pinkuylluna ruins behind him.
This town, sitting halfway between the Incan capital of Cuzco and Machu Picchu, was originally inhabited by pre-Incan tribes before the Incas renovated it. Structures built before the Spanish arrived are still in use today.
We visited two main sites on opposite sides of the valley where the town sits. The first ruins were examples of well-engineered storehouses, a trademark of the Incan Empire that helped it survive famines. On the other side of town were the most famous ruins, a combination of farming terraces, defensive walls, and a temple.
From our hostel’s roof we saw the climb to our days’ first destination, the Pinkuylluna ruins (upper left).On the way to Pinkuylluna we saw original Incan streets and walls that are still in use.A stone path led up the mountain to the ruins.Several breaks gave our lungs time to pull in more of the thin air.Our guide points out how the main ruins on the other side of the valley were layed out in the shape of a llama.Tim with the Pinkuylluna ruins behind him.The Incas built these storerooms to slow food decay. The windows, alligned for ventilation, take advantage of the cool air and greater wind speeds at the higher elevation.Mischievous Incan hobbits who dwell in the rooms of Pinkuyllana.Below us is the village of Ollantaytambo, and on the other side of the valley are the main Ollantaytambo ruins.The trip back down to the valley floor.Our next destination, as seen from our hostel’s roof, were the ruins of the Ollantaytambo fortress-temple.The many vertical walls prevented the Spanish Conquistadores from capturing this fortress, the only major battle they lost to the Incas.Climbing to the top of the terraces.Our guide explains how the blocks we are sitting on were brought here from a distant quarry on the opposite mountain.At the top of the terraces is the Incan temple.Descending past terraces to the valley floor.While waiting for lunch we ordered one guinea pig so everyone could get a taste.
