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At the end of the asphalt road, the town of Ollantaytambo is located in the far western part of the
Urubamba Valley. Beyond the valley narrows and from here you can continue on foot to Machu Picchu following the famous Inca Trail. It is also possible to board the Cusco-Machu Picchu train that arrives in Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes) with a two hours ride. We arrived at Ollantaytambo in the late evening and boarded the last evening train. Returning from Machu Picchu on the way back to Cusco we took the first train in the morning arriving at Ollantaytambo at down before all the groups, exploring the ruins in perfect solitude.
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Ollantaytambo is a typical Inca town located at 2,700 m.a.s.l. called by the Spaniards ‘Fortaleza’. The origin of the name has several approaches. According to the Aymara language, Ollantaytambo means place to look downwards. For Quechua language, the name derives from the word Ollanta (which is the name of an Incan Captain).
Another part of the history of this city was starred in by the indigenous resistance of Manco Inca, who, after keeping Cusco
besieged by months retreated to Ollantaytambo where he attained the victory in front of the Spaniards.
Just as Sacsayhuamán, it is considered a military construction strategically located to protect the city from possible invasions of forest people. It is also said that it was constructed to set up roads towards the Antisuyo. Nobody can deny that it was a very fortified city, surrounded by a wall with pukaras or fortresses. The privileged position of Ollantaytambo enabled the existence of other small buildings strategically located at high angles of the mountains so as to control the people movement in the valley.
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The archaeological complex is divided in two sectors situated around the Mañay Racay Square.
The ceremonial sector was mainly devoted to the worship of 'Unue' or 'Yaku' (water deities). For this reason, there are a series of fountains that were used to this
purpose, such as the Baño de la Ñusta (Bath of the Ñusta),
made of a single granite piece it is one of the most known fountains and the water still flows inside it.
The upper section features a fortress built on top of seventeen superposed terraces to protect the valley from possible invasion by the warring jungle tribes.
The last terrace contains the ten-niche precinct also called the Temple of the Ten
Windows. Most impressive is the main temple called Royal House of the Sun with its six mysterious
Inca monoliths constructed with huge red porphyry (pink granite) boulders assembled out in a manner that the blocks seem welded together. The gigantic monoliths are part of what was to be a never completed shrine or temple. In the external surface, to the southern edge, there are three carved symbols that belong to the Tiahuanaco pre-ceramic culture: the ‘Hanan Pacha’ (the Heaven), the ‘Kay Pacha’ (the Earth Surface) and the ‘Ukhu Pacha’ (the Underground).
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In front of the ruins stands a sacred mountain believed to have carved into the
rock the profile of Viracocha, the Inca sun god. During the winter solstice, sacred days for the Inca, the sun
striking the mountain is reflected by the rock, a clear sign of deity for the
Inca worshipers. The buildings visible to the right and to the left of the rock,
are stores for the offerings to Viracocha.
Today Ollantaytambo is one of the few cities that still maintain the Incan urban planning, with streets too narrow for a car and rows of houses built atop Inca masonry, whitewashed in
the typical Colonial fashion. The straw roofs had been replaced by tiles, giving
to Ollantaytambo a more modern appearance. Ollantaytambo hums with activity as porters with bright coloured ponchos prepare to set out on the Inca Trail and tourists mix
themselves with local people attending to every day life.
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