Ollantaytambo


Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is among the main tourist attractions in Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is one of the best places for tourism and tours that can be diversified by the immense range of tourist attractions that Ollantaytambo contains; with picturesque places that preserve the beauty and distribution of Inca times in its cobblestone streets and paths where you can tour the city and its different services such as: hotels, restaurants, bars and parking lots that keep the same symmetry of Inca times; having in all the places the forms of payment with cards and ATMs for your greater comfort.

In addition to the archaeological remains within the city, you can take Ollantaytambo as the start route to Machu Picchu, where you will find the ancient Inca Trail that can be scheduled for two days or four days of walking, and you will rest in one of the so many hotels and hostels with 1,2 and 3 stars that Ollantaytambo has.

Ollantaytambo serves as the final point for the routes that depart from Cusco to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Lares walk that has its starting point in Calca and ends in the living Inca city "Ollantaytambo". The accesses to Ollantaytambo are via public or private transport, having three main revenues that are by Pisaq, Anta and Chinchero.

With all these tourist details you have endless alternatives to visit one of the last bastions and Inca villages of today in Cusco.

 

General data

Location: 82.2 km northwest of the city of Cusco

Average temperature: Average temperatures range between 4.2 ° C and 19.6 ° C.

Season: Cusco has two well-marked seasons: a rainy season, between November and March, and a dry one (the most recommended for your visit) between April and October.

Access by land: If you travel by bus or car you can follow the Cusco - Chinchero - Urubamba route of 82.2 km. Throughout the tour there are restaurants, hotels and services for hiring horses and mountain bikes.

 

Where is Ollantaytambo located?

Ollantaytambo is located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in the current province of Urubamba (Cusco).

It is located 2,792 meters above sea level (m.s.n.m.), almost 60 kilometers from the city of Cusco.

The town sits next to the Urubamba River. From this town, trains depart in the direction of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town).

 

History

Ollantaytambo constituted a strategic military, agricultural and religious center to administer and control the Sacred Valley of the Incas; this is deduced by the constructions that presumably were for agricultural deposits and for military use like walls and watchtowers (probably to protect themselves from the jungle ethnic groups). There are 150 steps that separate the summit from the lower part and you can see the perfect carving of the stones, obviously dedicated to the cult of water, with great similarity to those of Tipón (South Valley of Cusco). This place was the ceremonial center of water purification and worship. The archaeological site comprises a series of overlapping terraces, showing the impressive and large stone blocks finely carved and located on the upper terrace (Temple of the Sun).

The Inca remains in Ollantaytambo are vestiges of the town that Pachacutec ordered to build, after subduing its inhabitants and conquering these lands, imposing agricultural infrastructure works, composed of hundreds of platforms and channels to secure farmland, checkpoints and vigilance in the tops of the hills, domestic and ceremonial buildings. They also built a bridge to connect the town with the Inca Trail, and built urban satellites on the route to Machu Picchu.

The Plaza Manyaraqui with its fountains is believed to have been part of a center to pay homage to water. On Cerro Pinkuylluna or Tunupa, there are huge stone constructions, of 2 or 3 floors, which are presumed to be agricultural deposits (colcas) or lookout points. There is also an enormous stone that resembles the face of an Inca, watching over Ollantaytambo.

The town of Ollantaytambo is called "Living Inca City" because its inhabitants live according to uses and customs inherited from their ancestors. From Ollantaytambo, it is possible to visit the town of Willoc, where Quechua is spoken, and whose red and black garments are similar to Huayruro, a red and black seed used as an amulet. Ollantaytambo is the only Inca city that is still occupied by local families. All the design and structure of the original Inca town is evident in the fifteen blocks that make up the town.

 

Archaeological site of Ollantaytambo

Live example of how was an Inca people. Preserves in time: houses, streets and canals as in the time of Tahuantinsuyo. The name of the town and the archaeological zone is due to the cacique Ollanta, who according to the oral tradition, fell in love with a princess daughter of the Inca Pachacútec and was severely punished. In the whole of Ollantaytambo, located on the hill overlooking the town, buildings such as the Temple of the Sun and its gigantic monoliths stand out: the Mañaracay or Salón Real, the Incahuatana and the Baños de la Princesa. In the upper part stands a fortress, with a series of terraces of carved stone, built to protect the valley from the possible invasions of ethnic groups that came from the jungles. One of the best preserved areas extends north of Hanan Huacaypata Square: a total of 15 blocks of houses built on stone walls.

 

Attractions:

 

Groups of platforms

From several Kilometers before Ollantaytambo, height of the town of Pachar, on both sides of the valley on the slopes of the slopes, we find a grouping of parallel platforms between them, with formidable paraments inclined towards the hill with rungs that come embedded in the walls.

 

The Forts of Choqana and inkapintay

Choqana is a Quechua word, indicates where it is knocked down or thrown. It corresponds to a pucara or barracks, located two kilometers before Ollantaytambo (going to Cusco), on the left side of the Urubamba river. It was a place of administrative control, signal station, communication and strong; It has a water supply, food storage and many facilities for surveillance.

 

The Plaza MañayRaqay also called K'uychipunku

Mañay means order and Raqay means shed; it is interpreted as the Plaza de las Peticiones. This name had the Plaza de Ollantaytamboy keeps it until today; this square is located on the right bank of the Patakancha stream, rectangular in shape, the limiting walls have many door openings.

 

The Real House of the Sun

The Royal House of the Sun or fortress, and Ollantaytambo in its entirety, still retains the layout of the urban planning of the incanato.It consists of 17 overlapping terraces, a succession of straight and wide platforms facing the side of the square and the town; the upper group of Andenes, runs transversally with respect to the previous group and higher.

 

The Enclosure of the Ten Niches and the Monumental Cover

It is the last platform of the Superior Group of Platforms of the Real House of the Sun, the whole wall is constituted by two stony canvases, which form a kind of hall. This enclosure is incomplete today, the exterior wall and the wall that contained the entrance door were demolished, the foundations are still there and it is possible to notice that the cupboards were inside and not like today in the open.

 

The temple of the Sun

It is an impressive architectural complex destroyed almost in its entirety, there are the immovable pieces that make up a stony canvas that for its solidity, volume and its form of assembly resisted the onslaught of the extirpators of idolatries and also repelled the looters of treasures. It is thought that the whole ensemble formed the Temple of the Sun, of which only the western wall has been formed by 6 red porphyry stones and between them, ribbons that fit with incredible accuracy.

 

The Bath of the Ñust'a

It is a beautiful fountain with triple bead in parallel lines and broken, sculpted on the front; The Incas built groupings of liturgical sources in every urban center.

 

Schedule:

The Hours of Operation from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Cost of entry included in the Tourist Ticket.

 

How to get to Ollantaytambo?

 

There are 2 ways to get to Ollantaytambo: one to the north through the town of Pisac and another shorter to the south, through the town of Chinchero.

 

On the Pisac route:

To travel this route you must take the buses on Puputi S / N street in Cusco. The cars pass through the town of Pisac and arrive in Calca. The trip takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

After Calca, you should take a car to the town of Urubamba (30 minutes).

Finally, you must board a bus from Urubamba to the town of Ollantaytambo (30 minutes).

 

On the Chinchero route:

To travel with this last route, you must board the small buses on Pavitos street in Cusco.

These cars reach the Main Plaza of Ollantaytambo (with an intermediate stop in the town of Urubamba). The trip takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

You can get to Ollantaytambo by train. However, the cost may be somewhat high for most people.

If you are in one of the towns of the Sacred Valley, you can take the buses to 'Ollanta'.

 

 

What to see in Ollantaytambo?

 

Ollantaytambo is magical. It conserves the straight streets of the Inca period. Where the inhabitants live today you can see the Inca walls of the original houses.

On one side of these small streets you can see Inca channels that currently supply the town with crystal clear waters. There you will feel at times that you go back hundreds of years to the past.

 

Archaeological site of Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo was a 'tampu' (shelter) for the Inca nobility. After the Spanish invasion, the town was rebuilt on the original layout. Among the most impressive structures of the site you can see the Temple of the Sun.

 

The town of Ollantaytambo

In the town of Ollantaytambo you can enjoy its streets, its landscapes and its people. In your square you can observe the locals coming down from nearby communities with colorful traditional costumes and hats adorned with multicolored flowers.

 

The Pincuylluna mountain

The Pincuylluna mountain is located in front of the Temple of the Sun of the Ollantaytambo fortress. If you decide to climb the mountain, you can see structures of stone blocks superimposed with 6 windows of facades and 6 windows called 'colcas' (Inca warehouses).

 

Site Museum of "CATCCO"

CATCCO is the abbreviation of "Andean Center of Traditional Technology and Culture of the Communities of Ollantaytambo". There are exhibited samples of architecture, craftsmanship and beliefs of the villagers.

 

What to do in Ollantaytambo?

Mountain biking

Try mountain biking at the Abra Málaga. There it will descend around 1,500 m. (5,000 ft.) There you will get exceptional views on a tour that has been described by many as one of the most beautiful in South America.

 

Horse riding tours to Inti Punku in Ollantaytambo

In Ollantaytambo you can also take a horse and go to the Inti Punku viewpoint (Puerta del Sol). In the tour you will see archaeological sites and you can learn more about the Inca culture. The tour lasts around 8 hours round trip.

 

Where to sleep in Ollantaytambo?

Ollantaytambo is a must to get to Machu Picchu, which is why a medium-sized tourist plant has been developed. There you can find hotels from 1 to 4 stars. If you wish, you can spend the night in Ollantaytambo after visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas and, the next day, you can take the train to Machu Picchu.

 

What to eat in Ollantaytambo?

In Ollantaytambo, there are more than 50 restaurants of different categories where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have pizzerias, bars, coffee-bars, restaurants of Peruvian food and others. All establishments serve quality food.

 

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