Peru

Ollantaytambo - a treasure of the Inca Empire

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15/04/2015

Ollantaytambo is a significant Incan archeological site located about 1,5 hour from Cusco, Peru. This site is situated in the town from where trains to Machu Picchu operate. In its time this place used to be a royal residence of emperor Pachacuti. At the time of Spanish conquest this town was the important citadel. It is situated along the valley of river Patakancha. The shore of the river used to be a source of stones the archeological site was built of. We had to visit this place within our trip around the world because it is fascinating. 😉

Temples in Ollantaytambo

Temples in Ollantaytambo are probably the most significant and interesting remain. Especially the Temple of Sun is very remarkable. There is so called the wall of six monoliths that absolutely deviate from the architecture you see around you. Every of these monoliths were created from only one piece of stone (rock) and it weights tens of tons! It is incredible that the Inca empire people were able to carve such a big heavy stones from the opposite mountain, transport them to the other shore, get them up to the hill, work them and pitch them to the line during the inception of this archeological site that archeologists date to a year around 15 century BC. Between the stones you can see stone filler that eliminates the disintegration of stone block formation during the earthquake. The same technology is incidentally used in the modern architecture! Another curiosity on these blocks is the pattern carvings. You can see them only on the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th stone from the left. Up to now no-one knows the real meaning of these stones. Several alternative researchers attribute their creation and transportation on this place to superhuman powers. That is because even today we would not be able to manufacture such enormous and heavy stones with ordinary tools. And for transportation on this site we would have substantially modify the terrain. Mainstream archeologist claim that the stones were transported to this place on the mud but every clever person simply cannot accept this theory when looking at these stones. Anyhow, the moment we spent at these stones was special and memorable for us.

Smooth stones

Another big mystery we have found while exploring this place were the building blocks like in Puma Punku in Bolivia. We found different sizes and shapes but what truly mesmerized us was Martina’s discovery. 😉 She found a small stone with one regular and very smooth edge. When we touched it it felt like touching the mirror! It was pretty clear that it must have been made artificially therefore we asked a local guard when exactly was this stone brought here because we thought that it was made by modern technique, probably by lase or diamond. He smiled at us and told us that this stone was original! It is a big mystery for us. We cannot imagine someone was able to work the stone so perfectly with only primitive tools Incas used during their times. If you decide to visit this place and want to touch this stone either, just write us and we will be happy to guide you there. 😉

Terraces and water sources

First beauties every tourist spots in Ollantaytambo are the terraces. These terraces functioned for growing crops. Icas had also very well developed water transport and preservation system. All over the area there are many places with water canals heading out of the low buildings.

The divine view

Opposite the archeological site of Ollantaytambo there is another mountain called Pinkuylluna. There are other interesting places to visit but the most interesting of them is a giant carved head in the rock. According to the Inca mythology it is Wiracocha or or Tunupa, the messenger of Viracocha who was the creator God of pre-Incan and Incan mythology. Next to the mountain there are buildings that served storehouses of goods.

How to get to Ollantaytambo and what ticket to buy

Ollantaytambo is easily accessible from Cusco. We recommend you to take so called colectivo – a van. Colectivo do Ollantaytamba operates from downtown of Cusco (ask for Pavitos – Colectivos). You can get to Ollantaytambo by car for 15 PEN/person (cca 5 USD), microbus or van costs 10 PEN/person (cca 3 USD). Same price applies for the return journey. In Ollantaytambo you can get on colectivo at the train station or Plaza de Armas. At the entrance do not buy the most expensive ticket. Just say you want „parcial bolleto“ for 70 PEN/person (cca 22 USD). This ticket is valid for 2 days and you can visit another 3 places in surroudings including Moray.