Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo (Quechua: Ullantaytampu) is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some 72 km (45 mi) by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 m (9,160 ft) above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti, after the mid-15th century. He built a town and a ceremonial center there. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. It is now an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca ruins and its location en route to a starting point for the four-day, three-night hike of the Inca Trail.

Human occupation on the site may date back as far as 3,500 years. Some buildings here date to well before the time of the Incas, who conquered it in the mid-15th century. In and around the town of Ollantaytambo contains evidence of settlements of the Huari civilization (600 – 1000 AD). The Fortress of Pumamarka, a military citadel, controlled access to Ollantaytambo using what later became known as the Inca Trail.

Around the mid-15th century, the Inca emperor Pachacuti conquered and razed a pre-existing town of Ollantaytambo. The town and the nearby region were incorporated into his personal estate. The emperor rebuilt the town with sumptuous constructions and undertook extensive works of terracing and irrigation in the Urubamba Valley; the town provided lodging for the Inca nobility, while the terraces were farmed by yanakuna, retainers of the emperor. After Pachacuti's death, the estate came under the administration of his panaqa, his family clan.

During the Spanish conquest of Peru, Ollantaytambo served as a temporary capitol for Manco Inca, leader of the Incan resistance against the conquistadors. He fortified the town and its approaches in the direction of the former Inca capital of Cusco, which had fallen under Spanish domination. In 1537, on the plain of Mascabamba, near Ollantaytambo, Manco Inca defeated a Spanish expedition in what is known as Battle of Ollantaytambo, blocking their advance from a set of high terraces and flooding the plain. Despite his victory, however, Manco Inca did not consider his position tenable, so the following year, he withdrew to the heavily forested site of Vilcabamba, where he established the Neo-Inca State.

In 1540, the native population of Ollantaytambo was assigned in encomienda to Hernando Pizarro.

In the 19th century, the Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo attracted the attention of several foreign explorers; among them, Clements Markham, Ephraim Squier, Charles Wiener, and Ernst Middendorf published accounts of their findings.

Hiram Bingham III stopped here in 1911 on his journey up the Urubamba River in search of Machu Picchu.

The town of Ollantaytambo is located along the Patakancha River, close to the point where it joins the Willkanuta River. The main settlement is located on the left bank of the Patakancha, with a smaller compound called 'Araqhama on the right bank. The main Inca ceremonial center is located beyond 'Araqhama on a hill called Cerro Bandolista. Several Inca structures are in the surrounding areas, and what follows is a brief description of the main sites.