Ollantaytambo, of course, should have been placed in the "cities" section. But this city, located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas at an altitude of 2,792 meters, is completely unique - almost all of it is an architectural monument. Once in it, tourists feel that they are in the ancient city of the Incas - so Ollantaytambo has survived to this day.
Legend of Ollantai
The city was named after General Ollantai, who fell in love with the daughter of the Inca Supreme Yupanqui Pachacuteca. The girl's name was Kuri-Coyllur in translation "lucky star". Ollantai was a devoted warrior to his king, but dared to ask Pachacute to his daughter as a wife. The father was against the connection of lovers, because Ollantai was, although a leader, but not of royal blood. As a result, the leader was expelled. Because of a strong resentment and a desire to see Coyllur, Ollantai rebelled against his ruler. He began real military operations and defeated the army of Pachacuteka under the leadership of Ruminyavi. Kuri-Coylyur, in gratitude for the loyalty of his beloved, gives birth to his daughter Aima Sumak (translated as "How beautiful"). After the death of Pachacuteca, his son Yupanca ascends the throne, who again sends troops to the rebels, and again led by Ruminyavi. But this time Ruminyavi resorts to trickery. He rubbed himself into the credibility of Ollantai, solders his soldiers at a banquet, and then takes everyone prisoner. But Aimu Saymak asks the great Inca Yupanku to have mercy on the parents, and the mother and father were released from prison. And Ollantai and Kuri-Coyllur lived happily ever after.
This romantic legend was translated into a performance that is still popular in Peru to this day.
Ollantaytambo history
Promotional video:
The above legend about Ollantai has real historical roots. In fact, the Inca Pachacutec, after the destruction of the disgraced city, decided not only to restore it, but to make it a real royal abode. The city is conveniently located at the confluence of the Urubamba and Patakanchi rivers and is of strategic importance due to its favorable location.
At the time of Pachacute, irrigation facilities, a temple complex, a palace, traditional Inca terraces for agricultural land, granaries were erected. Military fortifications were built, which were useful in the future.
When the conquistadors came to Peru, Ollantaytambo became the hideout headquarters of the Inca resistance leader Manco Yupanqui, who successfully repelled the attack of the Spanish army, while flooding the plain. However, Manco Yupanca knew that the Spaniards would come with reinforcements, and took refuge in Vilcabamba. After that, the city under the leadership of the conquistador Hernando Pizarro was taken by the Spaniards in 1540.
The new rulers turned the inhabitants of Ollantaytambo into serfs. But gradually the population assimilated and today no one wants to assess the actions of the past rulers. Today Ollantaytambo is considered by many to be the capital of the Indians of the whole world, and its archaeological complex is unmatched.
Architectural complex
The architectural complex is located mainly on the northwestern slope of the city of Ollantaytambo.
Pay attention to the photo-panorama below, when you click it will open in a very high resolution, and all the details of the complex will be examined in detail. The temple complex is located 60 meters up the mountain, on a ledge. The first is the temple of 10 windows (clearly visible in the photo-panorama from the top left of the main extreme left terraces). One of the walls of this temple was demolished, but the one that adjoins the slope is well preserved.
The Temple of the Sun is located nearby. Particularly striking is the wall of the Six Monoliths. The huge stones are surprisingly tightly fitted to each other.
Agricultural terraces allowed the Incas to make the most of their territory. After all, they made it possible in mountainous areas to organize the cultivation of crops on the slopes of the mountains that were previously inaccessible to agriculture. And the particularly accurate construction of the terraces speaks of the high status of the city and the people inhabiting it.
The complex has ruins of premises resembling a modern multi-room apartment.
On the steep slopes of the opposite mountain, the Incas built barns in which to store grain. This was a rational decision: on the mountain, the barns were well blown by the wind, thanks to which the grain was cooled and dried, which means it was better stored.
Also, on opposite slopes, fortifications were located, which made it possible to defend the city from the other side. Thus, Ollantaytambo was completely protected.
Below is the Temple of Water and a ceremonial fountain, which functions to this day.
Such fountains were most likely used for ritual purposes, although no one excludes that the Incas simply took water here for drinking.
Irrigation of the Incas
One of the impressive features of Ollantaytambo is the network of gutters along the sidewalks, along which water still runs since the time of the Incas.
Where necessary, water is launched under the sidewalk, and then branching in the right places, then spreads along the streets.
The market has particularly wide water flows. It is clear that there was a greater need for it.
It is amazing how the Incas were able to calculate the correct slopes in the construction of the streets so that, without any adjustment, the water spreads evenly along all the streets.
And most importantly, the water in both Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu and other similar cities flows naturally, starting from these mountain streams and rivulets.
Mysteries of Ollantaytambo
When speaking about history and architecture, we tried to stick to the official version. But now for the riddles.
Many researchers are of the opinion that a more highly developed civilization lived in Ollantaytambo long before the Incas. Only a few stones have survived from them. And here are the facts that speak for this version.
First. As with many ancient ruins in Peru, there are two types of masonry found in Ollantaytambo: the perfect one with finely fitted stones, and the simpler one, with a clay mortar between the stones. This suggests that the masonry was made in different eras, and the Incas only used some ready-made structures of their ancestors. As the Spaniards did after the Incas.
Particularly clearly visible are the various masonry at the temple of the sun, where a clearly raised slab was hastily overlaid with stones as best they could.
Second. The masonry of the ancestors of the Incas is perfect, so perfect that there is not a single gap, as if the stones were "melted" into the wall. The most amazing thing is that the boundaries between the stones of many walls are not even, and at the same time they still seem to merge.
Although some buildings have perfectly flat block edges. As a rule, such buildings are located below. Perhaps where there was a higher seismic resistance.
Third. It is not clear what tools were used to cut such perfect blocks. Today, stones can only be cut like this with diamond cutters, and no remains of tools have been found other than Inca copper tools. It is completely unrealistic to cut granite and andesite with them.
Fourth. It is impossible with any modern tools to achieve such a shape of the cutouts, for example, for stones that are perfectly fitted with indirect seams. Or here are the cutouts in the rock, as in the photo below. It feels like the rock was cut like butter with a knife. Also pay attention to the right side of our photo panorama. Such stairs are carved in completely strange places, at a great height. What for?
Fifth. How were the stones moved? It is believed that the stones were dragged from quarries a few kilometers from Ollantaytambo. They even set up an experiment, rolling a block of several tons on round stones and wooden chocks. But this is several tons, and the complex contains plates of hundreds of tons. In addition, the experiment was not completed - the unit could only be lowered, but not raised.
There is a description of the Spaniard Garcilaso de La Vega that one of the Inca rulers, wanting to show his strength, equipped about 20,000 Indians to carry him one monolith. But the experiment ended unsuccessfully - many were crushed by a block.
It is believed that the complex was not completed, therefore in many places, even in the middle of the city, there are such “tired stones”. But no one even tries to move them, and the path of their location gives another riddle: why the blocks were not transported directly, but bypassing them through the city.
Sixth. The technology of moving stones and building is gone. Which is very strange. After all, the Incas practiced rotation between workers: they easily changed their occupation, and skill was passed from mouth to mouth. Yes, the Inca did not have a written language (except for the rope - kupu). But the art of weaving, various handicrafts and agricultural knowledge have come down to us. But for construction - emptiness.
Seventh. How to explain the randomly scattered stones? If the temples were broken by the Spaniards, then how and why did they throw the heaviest monoliths so far?
And if, according to the official version, the temple complex was unfinished, then why are the stones not neatly stacked, but lying around, as if they were blown away by some unknown shock wave?
Eighth. Many cutouts are not only not clear from the manufacturing method, but also their application is not clear. Why was it necessary to process the stones so carefully?
Many researchers, who do not adhere to the official version, hypothesized that megalithic structures were erected long before the Incas by a much more highly developed civilization, using methods of processing and moving stones that are not known to this day. And the strong buildings on the hill were washed away during the Flood, which is spoken of in legends in many parts of the world. Only those remained that fit well to the mountain.
For the sake of justice, it is worth noting that the Inca empire was 400-500 years ago, the most modern civilization in Peru dates back to about 2000-3000 BC. And the flood, according to legends, was about 35,000 years ago. This says a lot: the remains of such ancient civilizations could reach us only in the form of stones.
Ollantaytambo modern
Today Ollantaytambo is extremely popular with tourists. And this is due not only to the presence of an archaeological complex in it, but also to the fact that if you move to Machu Picchu by car or bus, then they will not go further than this place: here they will have to change to a train.
In this connection, many are happy to stay in Ollantaytambo for the night. There are many good hotels, and the prices are very affordable. And do not forget that in Peru the Hostel is not like a hostel in our understanding, but just an inexpensive hotel.
The city has many decent restaurants, pizzerias for every taste and budget.
And the locals sell souvenirs and handicrafts that can be bought at the market or in shops.
Well, if you understand that Ollantaytambo is a real place of power, then go to the site of one of its fortresses and meditate.