Ollantaytambo is a town and archaeological site of the Incas in southern Peru, some 72 kilometers by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 meters (9,160 feet) above sea level in Ollantaytambo district, Urubamba province, Cusco region.
During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the city and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance.
Today, located in what is called the Sacred Valley of the Incas, it is a major tourist attraction due to its Inca ruins and its location on the way to one of the most common starting points for the famous four-day and three-day hike. as the Inca Trail.
The ruins of Ollantaytambo are mostly of religious significance, although they were also strategically important. The great Inca fortress (also known as Temple Hill), built in the 14th century, and the Temple of the Sun with its monolithic stones rise high above the cobbled streets of the city.
Ancient symbol-like markings in relief still adorn these enormous stones. The complex also includes a terrace with steps and an area known as the Princess Baths, where ceremonial bathing took place.
A climb of the 200 steps to the top gives a visitor a close-up view of the remains of several fountains and temples. Those who live in the area also like to point out the Inca face carved into the cliff above the valley.
Ollantaytambo was a strategic military, agricultural and religious site to administer and control the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This follows from the structures believed to be agricultural reservoirs and for military use as walls and watchtowers (probably for protection against jungle ethnicities).
There are 150 steps that separate the upper part from the lower part and observe the perfectly carved stones, obviously dedicated to water worship, with a great similarity to Tipon (Southern Valley of Cusco).
This place is a ceremonial center and worship of water purification. The archaeological site includes a series of exaggerated terraces, showing the impressive and large stone blocks, which are finely carved and located on the upper terrace (Temple of the Sun).
The Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo are the remains of the people who commissioned the construction of Pachacutec, after subjugating the inhabitants and conquering these lands, through the imposition of agricultural infrastructure works, consisting of hundreds of platforms and canals to ensure ensuring that the farmlands, checkpoints and vigilance were in order. the hilltops, domestic and ceremonial buildings.
They also had a bridge to connect the village to the Inca Trail, and had urban satellites on the route to Machu Picchu.
The site also features beautiful fountains, a ‘Temple of the Condor’ and numerous rocks and stones with a variety of notches and grooves that may have been used for astronomical observations.
The most notable of these is a vertical rock wall with protruding knobs that some say is a solar clock marking the December solstice and the sun’s zenith.
In fact, all of Ollantaytambo serves an astronomical purpose; the site is said to have been laid out in the shape of a llama and high up on the mountain a stone enclosure called the ‘eye of the llama’ catches the first rays of the llama. solstice sun.
Some believe that the masonry is so incredibly crafted that it could not possibly be made by humans. In his series of books starting with Chariots of the Gods, famed Swiss scientist, adventurer and author Eric Von Daniken launched a theory that the stone structures in the Andes were built by aliens who visited Earth long ago and brought civilization to Earth brought. primitive people who lived at that time.
It’s a fascinating theory, but it can also be interpreted as an underestimation of people in the past.
It is still a mystery today how the Incas could build such a huge and well-built stone-based complex. At that time they had no iron tools or knowledge of the wheel, but anyway they were able to dig out the huge stones, transport them across the valley and a river, take them to the top of the mountain, shaping them and placing them in the ground. remarkable structures.
