We awoke in this Incan village containing some of the oldest continually-occupied homes in the Americas. The constant rain the previous night had us worried that we may not be able to tour two sets of ruins planned for the day, but we were fortunate when, right after breakfast, the rain stopped.
We started with a 350-foot climb to the Pinkuylluna ruins, 3 curious-looking long buildings we had seen on the mountainside from our hostel. Afterwards we got a look inside one of the village’s ancient homes, whose interior (replete with guinea pigs and unexpected decorations on the walls) was typical of rural Andean homes both today and more than 500 years ago.
Then we crossed to the other side of town to spend more time at the main Ollantaytambo ruins, the second most important site of the Incan Empire. After lunch we hopped a train to Aguas Calientes, the launching point for visits to Machu Picchu.
From our hostel we saw the first ruins we’ll visit …… and on the valley’s other side were the main ruins.The Incas built the stone foundations of these homes which have been inhabited for about 550 years.We start our ascent to the first set of ruins.The Pinkuylluna ruins, to the left of Maria.The steep climb would have been much more difficult earlier, before we’d had time to acclimatize to the high altitude.The 3 long buildings were Incan storehouses.Archeologists believe the terraces held flowers and ornamental plants, to create an impressive colorful display of Incan engineering.The storehouses were built here to use cooler air rising up the mountain for ventilating the rooms and reducing food spoilage.A major Incan trading road to the jungle passed through the valley below.Students enjoyed a half hour to walk around and explore the ruins and terraces.Inside one of the town’s homes, typical of Andean peasants.Can you spot the 3 skulls on the wall? This is a common way of honoring deceased parents.Now we are at the main Ollantaytambo ruins.The first buildings here were built before the Incas.The walls were originally covered with yellow, gold-colored clay.The wall in the background was part of a temple at the top of the terraces.The guide shows how the Incas would have used the protuberances to maneuver the stones into place.The 6 giant monoliths, oriented to glow with the rising sun, were part of an unfinished temple.The stones were brought down from the mountain top behind the guide, 3 miles away, across the valley, and up to this point.Walking to another set of Incan storehouses.More Tyler hand signals, indicating how he worships the SST leaders.Analysis of remains in this storehouse show it was used to store alpaca fat and dried jerky.Talk of alpaca fat and jerky made everyone hungry, so we started our hike back for lunch.Incas mixed sand with topsoil in the terraces, making it less apt for crops, but better for ornamental plants.This building held a fountain, at right, for ceremonial baths before entering the temple.For lunch we had a surprise cake for Willy’s birthday.On the way to the train station these kids asked to sing us a song.On the 90-minute train ride students passed the time playing euchre.While waiting for supper in Aguas Calientes …… these 3 students earned the Master Incan Builders award.
