Ollantaytambo
The
beauty and fertility of Ollantaytambo have attracted people here for millennia.
Ollantaytambo was built as an Inca retreat village and although other
cultures inhabited the area before the Incas, all made the most of the
valleys fertile ground. The Inca went as far as channeling the Vilcanota
river, and managed to terrace almost every inch of the Urubamba valley,
otherwise known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. During the great conquest,
the Spaniards lost their only battle in Ollantaytambo but eventually managed
to take hold of the valley and established the large hacienda holdings
which have only recently passed to the hands of small farmers. Today Ollantaytambo
is a living record of its past and the people are the heirs to the wealth
of culture and tradition that has accumulated over time. Today travelers
continue to visit, relax and learn in Ollantaytambo. The many and diverse
things to do in and around the historic town are worthy of a vacation
on their own. Just as the Inca did, all travelers will appreciate Ollantaytambo
as the resting point before departure to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.
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