Peru (3):
Cuzco and Ollantaytambo

Photos by Adam Jones

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I.
Cuzco, in the Plaza de Armas

II.
The Plaza de Armas by Night

III.
Ollantaytambo (1)

IV.
Ollantaytambo (2)

"The site, a massive fortress, is one of the few places where the
Spanish lost a major battle during the conquest. Below the ruins is the village
of Ollantaytambo, built on traditional Inca foundations and the best surviving
example of Inca city planning. ... Some extremely well-built walls were under
construction at the time of the conquest and have never been completed. "
- Lonely Planet, Peru

V.
Ollantaytambo (3)

"The huge, steep terraces guarding the Inca fortress are spectacular and bring
gasps of admiration from visitors arriving in the square below. ... It is probable
that the Incas themselves saw Ollantaytambo as a temple rather than a fortress, but
the Spanish called it a fortress and it has usually been referred to as such ever since.
The temple area is at the top of the terracing. The stone used for these buildings
was quarried from the mountainside 6km away, high above the opposite bank of the Rio Urubamba.
Transporting the huge stone blocks from the quarry to the site was a stupendous feat and
involved the effort of thousands of Indian workers. To move the massive blocks across the river,
the workers used a mind-boggling technique: they left the blocks by the side of the river, then
diverted the entire river channel around the blocks, rather than trying to haul the stones
through the river itself."
- Lonely Planet, Peru

VI.
Ollantaytambo (4)

In the village -- an unpretentious dwelling built on imposing Inca foundations.

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All photographs are copyright Adam Jones 2002. Permission is granted for non-commercial use
if the author is acknowledged and notified.
adamj_jones@hotmail.com