Ollantaytambo, Cusco

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Ollantaytambo is the name of a small town and an Inca archaeological site on the Urubamba River, about 60 kilometers northwest of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of almost 2,800 metres above sea level and is the most popular site in the Sacred Valley. It was built by the Incan emperor Pachacuti in the middle 1400's. He also constructed extensive terraces and established an irrigation system in the Urubamba Valley.

During the Spanish invasion of Peru the site was used as a fortress by the Inca resistance against the conquistadors. in 1536 they defeated the Spanish by halting their advance and flooding the plain. The site was abandoned shortly after.

The terraces of Ollantaytambo are built to a higher standard to most with smooth high walls of cut stone compared with the normal rough stone. On top of the terraces is the unfinished Sun Temple. The huge stones were quarried from a site across the river - what an amazing feat to transport them.

One the mountains across from the terraces there are remains of Inca storehouses.

Entrance is with the Tourist Ticket.

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This is the last city you can reach traveling by bus, car or combi from Cuzco, after that you´ll have to continue by expensive train or on foot following the railway.
The foundations of the buildings remins the inca culture, but the rest of the architecture is once again colonial. One of the most bloody battle of the spanish conquering process took place here, and the spanish loose!!!! Inca warriors rule!! Tupac Amaru lives!!

Price: Only with Boleto Turistico

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Ollantaytambo is a stunning Inca fortress that is located in the Sacred Valley. It is particularly famous for it's stunning terraces that line the walls of the valley leading towards the top of hill that dominates the valley. The terraces were so successful that is is one of the few places where the Incas could repel the invading Spanish. The fortress served both as an administrive centre and as a spiritual retreat. Ollantaytambo is crowned by an unfinished temple dedicated to sun worship. The fortress is also remarkable for its huge impressive stone work. These stones where transported to Ollantaytambo from a quarry 6km away, an amazing feat.
I visited Ollantaytambo on a bus tour from Cusco. This is probably the easiest way of visiting however, I do understand that you can see by way of regular bus from there. Admission was included on the Cusco Tourist Ticket. The town of Ollantaytambo seemed quite interesting and I wished I had actually travelled here independently. There is suppose to be a good museum and some local colonial houses worth visiting.

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We stopped at Ollyantaytambo on our way back to Cusco from Aguascalientes. It's a short train ride away and from there we were able to take a taxi back to Cusco to catch our flight to Lima. Ollyantaytambo is a small village located at the base of the ruins. Walk around the grid-like streets of the town, which are lined with hanging red flags indicating "chicha" is brewed there, and get a feel for local life. The ancient Incan aqueduct still brings water through the town.

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The Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo consist of some spectacular terracing up the steep hillside, and at the top of this a temple site - apparently! I must confess we didn't climb all the way up.

At the foot of the terraces are various other temples and a well-preserved (or restored?) Inca fountain. Despite the fairly large number of tourists and a group of local school children on an educational tour, I found the atmosphere here very peaceful, perhaps because of the stream running through the site and a number of small pools. On the hillside opposite the ruins you can spot Inca granaries carved out of the rock.

Don't forget your "Boleto Turistico" which you'll need for entry to the ruins. And while you're here please do take the time to explore the village too - it's built on Inca foundations and the houses are very traditional and worth a closer look. See my "Off the beaten path" tip for more information.

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our the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo. At the top of the sixteen massive terraces are the ever-impressive ruins of Ollantaytambo Fortress where the Inca fought some of their strongest battles. Huge and precisely carved stones were transported by hundreds of men down one mountain range to Ollantaytambo and fitted perfectly to support this strategic fortress that has bared the test of time.

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Ollantaytambo is a town which is in the western part of the sacred valley. It takes about 2.5 hours to get here by bus from Cusco.
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What is amazing is that some of the Incan structures in town are still used today by people. You can see houses built on top of dark pink Incan rock walls. The town itself is a great surviving example of how the Incans arranged their towns. The towns are divided into blocks called cunchas. Each block has a large stone doorway that leads to a courtyard. Houses surround this central courtyard.
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The fortress at Ollantaytambo is magnificent. It was built into a mountainside to be used for defense and religious purposes. The fortress itself is made up of stepped terraces made of massive stone. Climbing about 200 steps up you get a nice view and a sense of breathlessness if you are not used to the altitude. Our guide said these huge stone were moved from quarries from the opposite hillside. To get the rock to the final site, workers used a system of rollers, ramps and slopes. In addition, they used rocks to divert the river to help with the transport of the stone.

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Our guide told us of a beautiful Quencha legend that surrounds the site, which is put on as a play in Peru. As the story goes, a general of the army named Ollanta fell in love with the rulers daughter Kusi. After winning numerous battles, the ruler Pachacutec offered the general anything he wanted. Ollanta asked for Kusi’s hand in marriage. It was sacrilegious for people in different casts to marry. Ollanta was forced to leave and Kusi was jailed with her son. Ollanta gathered forces and started a rebellion which lasted 10 years. Ollanta was eventually defeated and enslaved. When Ollanta was taken, Pachacutec had just died and Pachacutec’s son took over. Pachacutec’s son listened to the story of the two lovers and granted a pardon and allowed their marriage. The two lovers then lived happily with their child.

Ollantaytambo is a fantastic fortress, located on the scarpments of the east side of the Urubamba Valley is built with the characteristic incaic architecture, massive, accurate, almost perfect.
The design of the site is an example of strategical and tactical wise, so much that the spaniards were obligued to a monumental investment in lifes and military resources along years to defeat the last kechua bastion.
At all, here happen the hindermost big battle between the Spaniard Empire and the Inca Empire as they was in essence.
The struggle between two opposed worlds.