10/22: Great Mysteries at the Inca Terraces in Ollantaytambo, Peru

The town was so dead compared to yesterday, likely, we figured, because it was the day of the national census and people were required to stay home to await the knock on the door of the census taker. As a result, all the stores and restaurants were closed. Our guesthouse owner had said that certain people had been able to submit census forms earlier so they could be available for their guests.

We didn’t realize the impact the census would have at the archaeological park where we’d planned to spend a chunk of the day. We had to wait a long while to find an English-speaking guide and even longer until I was able to cajole a fellow English speaker, Jarry from Australia, to join us to help defray the cost of the tour. We don’t normally hire guides when we visit places but had read it was critical to do so at the ruins to gain a better understanding of what we were seeing was not just a pile of rocks.

Credit and my thanks goes to the informative and fascinating zoomboshi blog for some of the following information.

Ollantaytambo (or Ollanta as referred to locally for breivty), a former Inca administrative center and gateway to the Amazon corner of the Inca Empire, was at the northern end of the Sacred Valley. At the time of the Spanish invasion and conquest of Peru, Ollanta served as the last stronghold for Manco Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance at the time.

Walter, our guide, mentioned that the stones we saw as we entered the park had come from important temples that had been in the plaza. The temples had been carved from stones quarried elsewhere.

Ollanta was divided into two areas: the religious part and the residential area. The new religious part included the current market area. The terraces were the ritualistic gardens devoted to the gods. Walter told us that there were actually three valleys around Ollanta, one of which was the famous Machu Picchu, which we’d be touring in a few days.

Walter told us that for the Inca people, the Sacred Valley and its rivers represented the Milky Way on earth. The terraces formed a retaining wall for the crops and ornamental gardens. The Spanish later brought plants that eventually caused the walls to collapse.

You may remember the photo of the blue door from the previous post I took as we walked to the main square from our hotel. The blue door was the demarcation line of the Inca city according to Walter. We didn't realize at the time that any home with double doors signified the entrance to important places or people in Ollanta during Inca times.

The town used to be the royal estate of Emperor Pachacutec, one of the most important and powerful Incas of the entire Inca Empire. It was here in 1537 that, during the Inca rebellion, Manko Inka Yupanqui defeated an invading Spanish army led by Hernando Pizarro, Francisco’s half-brother. From high above in the terraces of Ollanta, the Incas managed to hold back and defeat the Spanish. In addition, the Incas had one water channel which was used to flood the plain below, forcing the Spanish to withdraw. The Spanish had been, briefly, defeated. However, the Spaniards returned with even more force and the fortress of Ollanta was soon captured and the most important buildings and the temples were destroyed. Despite the historic battle, the fortress had more than a defensive purpose.

From anywhere along the climb, it was easy to see why researchers believe the terraces served some agricultural purpose as the surfaces were broad, deep and flat. Because they were oriented toward the sun, it’s believed that they were solar energy collectors to provide heat for crops. The resulting micro-climates made it possible to grow corn, potatoes and quinoa at different altitudes.

Steven welcomed my request to take his photo as it allowed both of us to take a breather from all the huffing and puffing we'd done climbing so many steps!

A shot of Sacred Mountain, an astronomical observatory created by the Incas, opposite the terraces. When the Spanish conquerors came, they destroyed most Inca royal astronomical sites as well as tombs, according to Walter.

The middle part was a storage facility for the crops that could be stored for twenty to thirty years because a special plant like mint was used as a natural insecticide.

The image of the angry face on the mountain opposite us was that of a wise man who passed through life teaching the ways of the world. Walter said it was a natural face and not carved at all but I read elsewhere that in fact the face was carved into the rock face. Whatever its origins, the Incas believed it was the face of Wiracocha, the deity who was the creator of all. He was depicted with a pointed bonnet on his head and carrying some heavy sacks on his back.

Walter pointed out the ‘male’ and ‘female’ stones, i.e. the stones interlocked perfectly so they would stay in place and not fall. They were fitted so tightly that a razor couldn’t be inserted in the seams. These have rounded edges, but some edges were beveled. The planar surfaces were amazingly flat.

Walter told us these stones were examples of classical Inca architecture because they were only carved like this in Machu Picchu's Sacred Temple unlike any of the stones in the terraces.

This section contained the Templo de Diez Hornacinas or Temple of Ten Niches, and had immense, polygonal stones fitted together with such precision that no mortar was necessary. The Temple was a typical rectangular Inca building with trapezoidal entries cut into masterfully carved and polished stones. There Steven could hear his voice echo from one niche to another.

Walter explained that the Spanish conquistadors destroyed the wall of the adjacent temple.

The much photographed doorway that led to another important site:

Walter indicated that only wise people like priests or rulers could sit on the throne overlooking the town.

A panoramic view of the city below us from our spot at 2,850 meters above sea level or masl, about 9,400 feet:

The Templo del Sol was the site’s stunning architectural achievement. The Temple of the Sun was like a calendar for the Incas and had a specific purpose especially on the 21st June, the winter solstice, and the 21st December, the summer solstice. Walter talked about the uses of the temple of the sun, the sun dial and other features the Incas built and used.

Standing approximately 36 feet wide and 14 feet high, the Wall of Six Monoliths is one of the great mysteries of the Andes. Made of pink granite or rhyolite weighing up to 50 tons and rising 15 feet high, archaeologists can only guess that its purpose was to face the winter sun. Again, the seams were unimaginably tight; the rocks were all masterfully crafted to leave not even a paper-thin crack between them.

The vertical lines on the stones were intentional and represented space allowed for earthquakes that were a constant factor.

Walter told us the stones were from the Cachicata quarry located in a valley four miles away and were transported across the 1000-ft deep Rio Vilcanota Valley and up the ramp beside the temple using rollers and wheels. The whole process just boggled my mind considering it took place some 600 years ago.

The ramp next to the temple:

The Temple was decorated with geometric figures and carvings of sacred animals. This had part of the Andean Cross, an important symbol in Peru, with a puma nose.

The wall might have once been part of a larger structure. The ground nearby was littered with other gigantic pink stones. Some researchers suggest that the Temple was left unfinished when the Spanish invasion happened; others consider that the rubble was the aftermath of a massive earthquake or other catastrophe that toppled the structure long ago.

Our last view of the Temple of the Sun:

The Rio Vilcanota Valley:

Walter mentioned that all Inca cities were designed with military walls surrounding them. The military tower controlled access to the temple.

The rest of the complex consisted of Inca-era walls, buildings and passageways of mortared field stones that, while impressive and extensive in scale, clearly didn’t match the technical sophistication of the Temple of the Sun or the Ten Niches.

These were special ritualistic places for Incas.

A view of the mountain opposite us, i.e. behind the town, and where we'd be hiking the next day.

Steven and I like to think we’re in pretty decent shape as we get a lot of exercise at home and had been walking and hiking also a lot since beginning this trip six weeks previously. However, we found ourselves needing regular breaks!

The upper part of the archaeological park was used as a military park or zone for the Incas and comprised austere and simple architecture in a rectangular shape without any divisions inside. On the walls were niches used as storage spaces where ceremonial objects were placed.

As we climbed the Inca stairs to the top of the fortress, we began to fathom just how large this structure was. The terraces were taller than the average man and much wider than they looked from the bottom.

As we moved away from the Sun Temple, the pathway took us toward the Balcony Walk, a narrow ledge that led to two large buildings and more terraces.

Our guide, Walter:

Jarry, our very interesting companion on the tour:

The Ollanta Archaeological Park presented six areas of life ranging from 2800 masl to a staggering 5500 masl or more than 18,000 feet! The valley floor was characterized by a dry forest with mostly prickly shrubs. As we climbed higher, the vegetation was more diverse.

We could hear the wind just whistling in the mountain! We were glad we’d chosen to enter the park in the early part of the day before the sun got stronger and winds even fiercer.

Potatoes and other foods were kept in defined storage areas called qolqas which signified the center of a highly productive area. Walter mentioned that the potatoes were grown by workers from the Ministry of Culture to show what it may have looked like centuries ago here. The potatoes were divided among the workers.

We could see many qolqas of varying sizes on the slopes around Ollanta and across from the terraces to the hill behind the town. They were used by the Incas to store agricultural crops to feed the town. They made the movement of the crops easier, through the specifically built and structured narrow windows in the store houses.

Walter took us next through the eastern section of the park until we got to an area called Inka Misana. What a shame there were few people to view another of the great mysteries of the Andes not far from the main entrance. If dragging 100-ton blocks around like they were bales of hay wasn’t impressive enough, coming across large sections of cliff that had been cut away skillfully and smoothly removed from solid rock, with no visible gouge marks, was an incredible sight. It appeared as if the stone were cut by some sort of machinery or unknown technology!

The peculiar series of smooth walls appeared to be the scars from quarrying, but no one knows how such large chunks of rock could have been removed, leaving such a polished surface. One theory is that it worked as a solar clock, with odd circular protrusions that looked like pegs on the otherwise flat surface casting shadows on a series of carved benches beneath.

As further evidence that these smooth recesses were left by design, similar shapes were also found on ground level where they formed fountains and a throne.

According to a fascinating blog I read called Uncovered History by Robin Heyworth, similar examples were found throughout the Inca Misana area, which has led to a growing belief that the Inca used precision power tools that are unknown to us now. This, they say, is also evident in the incredible accuracy with which they cut their stonework and monoliths in order to slot them together so precisely. A suggestion supported by the Incas' own accounts is that they knew of ways to soften stone or even separate it, using combinations of plant extracts, heat and minerals.

Back on the ground level, Walter said the water was only used during Inca times for drinking the ritual drink called chicha and for ceremonies.

This is all that remained of the Condor Temple which had been 90% destroyed by the Spaniards.

Mummies of important people were kept in the niches.

Walter indicated these were houses where Inca princesses had lived but we didn’t venture any further.

At the base of the ruins were elaborate waterworks. Prior to entering the temples, Inca people had to be purified under showers; the water came from underground channels.

We knew the Princess Path Fountain was a ceremonial site because of the symbol of the Andean Cross.

These were domestic showers, i.e. not for religious purposes, Walter told us.

The Water Temple evoked the sacredness of space during the Inca empire as it was where the ceremonial worship of water sources took place.

Walter stated all Inca cities had temples and also those dedicated to water specifically.

Potatoes were being cultivated by the Ministry of Culture to replicate what the Inca people had done so many centuries ago.

The tour ended but we decided to walk through more of the park by ourselves to discover areas Walter hadn’t taken us to. Initially, I admit to thinking Steven was certifiably nuts when he suggested we start climbing UP all those steps once again!

We also retraced many of the paths we’d previously taken to gain a different perspective on what we’d seen.

Climbing the terraces once again at least afforded gorgeous views overlooking Ollanta and ...

the granary storage facilities on the mountain across the valley.

Once I got my second wind, I was intrigued by the opportunity to walk up to, and even inside, the houses that we'd only seen in the distance previously with our guide.

Being able to discover yet more of the Inca masterpiece with nary anyone else apart from my beloved was a heady experience.

At least we were both smiling after being on the mountain for so many hours!

Steven was able to pick out our hotel - the one with the white chair on the patio!

This gives you a perspective of at least some of the steps we climbed that day, and that was the second time around, too!

Walking back through the town lanes, we didn't have the same spring to our step as when we had left that morning!

On our way back to our hotel, we saw a number of census takers in town.

In our few days in Ollanta, I never grew tired of sights like the following ones.

Luckily, the restaurants were just opening up for dinner in town after being closed for the census all day. Funnily enough, the people beside us also were from Colorado; a while later, the only other table was also occupied by another couple, also from Colorado. We have never in our years of travels ever met two groups of Coloradans in one day, let alone a week!