Visiting Ollantaytambo in Peru

Hello friends,

Today I would like to share with you some pictures of Ollantaytambo, a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru.

At the peak of the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti. At the time of the Spanish conquest, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. In 1536, Manco Inca flooded the plain of Mascabamba, near Ollantaytambo, where the Spanish expedition was stationed, blocking their advance. When more troops came after him, he withdrew to Vilcabamba, which was heavily forested, and therefore less exposed than Ollantaytambo.

Despite Manco Inca's departure, other locals stayed on, and therefore Ollantaytambo has arguably some of the oldest continuously occupied dwellings in South America (1).

Nespresso anyone?

The archaeological site was at the edge of the town. There was some wonderfully preserved Inca dwellings in the main square.

Hey little fellow!

The Inca stone-masonry is simply amazing. The stones fit perfectly together.

Beautiful Inca doors

It was a strenuous effort going up those terraces, but the views were stunning from the top.

The town from the top

And that's the end of today's post. More impressions from Ollantaytambo in the next post, where we will visit the Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun). Have a good day, and speak to you soon!

References
1.Text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollantaytambo.