Ollantaytambo

During this long Memorial Day weekend, I made an excursion to Ollantaytambo, a world-famous archeological site known for its Inca ruins. This small city is the starting point for those seeking to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.

It's about a 2-3 hour drive from Cusco, Peru to get to Ollantaytambo and thankfully, it's about 2,000 feet lower in altitude (about 9,000 feet above sea level), making it much easier to walk considering Cusco is at about 12,000 feet above sea level.

Before arriving at Ollantaytambo, I made a stop at a beautiful restaurant that served a buffet of fresh ceviche made from Andean trout, alpaca steak, cuy (guinea pig) and many other Peruvian specialties.

The ruins of Ollantaytambo are, in my opinion, on par with those of Machu Picchu themselves and many people I've talked to who have been to both sites agree. Surrounded by the snow capped peaks of the Peruvian Andes mountain chain, it's smack in the center of the area known as Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley).

I won't claim to be an expert from the short time I was there, but to paraphrase its history from a travel guide:

 "Ollantaytambo became a prime center within the Inca Empire. It was generally reserved for the elite, and the Ollantaytambo Fortress was first a place of worship, as well as a location for studying astronomy. The Ollantaytambo Fortress is just on the outskirts of the old town, and though its primary intention was rather benign, it has an overwhelmingly forbidding air about it. Among the Ollantaytambo ruins that are the most visually spectacular are the rising terrace walls, that served as an integral means of defense; something that would come in handy upon the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. As Francisco Pizarro and his men went about conquering much of Peru in the 1530's, they found considerable troubles within the heart of the Sacred Valley. An Inca nobleman by the name of Manco Inca had led an attempt to siege Cusco in 1536, and though he was unsuccessful, he did not give up there. After he was defeated by Pizarro and the Spanish in Sacsayhuaman, Manco retreated with his forces to the Ollantaytambo Fortress."

To see more photos of mine from this highly spiritual site, click here.