May 10, 2006Ollantaytambo and ChincherasOn the way back from Machu Picchu we stopped to explore Ollantaytambo, one of the few Inca fortress where the Incas actually fought battles with the Spanish and the only one where they won. (Manco Inca Yupanqui who became an Inca with Pizarro's blessing soon after the murder of Atahualpa, eventually got tired of being a puppet and rebelled against the Spanish. He faught them at Sacsayhuaman near Cusco, then retreated to Ollantaytambo, held it over a few battles, then retreated to Vilcabamba down in the jungles, past Machu Picchu.) Unlike Machu Picchu, which is very pretty but didn't impress me as a fortress, Ollantaytambo actually feels like a place where one could defend oneself. Another interesting thing about Ollantaytambo was that the current town (village?) still preserves much of the original Inca architecture. One after another, you pass doorways made of massive stones that are merely people's houses, supposedly built back during the Inca time. It is strange to see people living in buildings parts of which are more than 500 years old. After Ollantaytambo we headed back to Cusco by bus, stopping on the way at Chinchero. Chinchero had more ruins and a cathedral, but we were tired by then, so we only looked briefly and got back on the bus for Cusco. Filed under: Bolivia and Peru in 2005 , Sacred Valley CommentsMarch 7, 2006Pisac and the Sacred ValleyOn our second day after arriving to Cusco, we started on a trip of the
sacred valley. The Sacred Valley ("Vale Sagrado") is carved by Rio
Urubamba, which starts
somewhere not too far from Cusco. As it moves away from Cusco the
valley lowers in elevation, eventually dropping into Amazonia where
the Urubamba joins the Amazon river and eventually makes its way to
the Atlantic. The sacred valley was the heartland of the Inca Empire
and is covered with numerous ruins, the most notable of them being
Pisaq, Ollantaytamo and Machu Picchu. From Cusco, one can take a bus
to Pisaq (about 1,5 hours), then another bus to Ollantaytambo (2
hours). From there, there are only two ways to continue to Machu
Picchu - a ridiculously expensive train or a guided trek (The Inca
Trail - even more expensive). We started with a bus ride to Pisaq, where we stopped at a colorful Sunday market: Afterwards, we negotiated a taxi ride up to Pisac ruins. Pisac ruins are supposed to be amongst he most extensive in the area, some people say more so than Machu Picchu. The pictures show two types of stonework: the more simple piling up of stones used for fortifications and residences vs. the perfectly fitting carved stones used for the temples. Filed under: Bolivia and Peru in 2005 , Sacred Valley CommentsPlease leave your comments. The comments are moderated against link spam and may not appear on the site immediately. Comentários em português são bem-vindos. Puede escribir en castellano también, pero puedo responder solamente en Portuñol. Mozhno po-russki, no v nastoyaschii moment tol'ko v translite. You can also email me at yuri{at}freewisdom.org. |
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Please leave your comments. The comments are moderated against link spam and may not appear on the site immediately. Comentários em português são bem-vindos. Puede escribir en castellano también, pero puedo responder solamente en Portuñol. Mozhno po-russki, no v nastoyaschii moment tol'ko v translite. You can also email me at yuri{at}freewisdom.org.