Ollantaytambo

Guided tour (video script)

For now we are going to continue our journey in Peru traveling from Cusco across the highlands to the Urubamba
valley and there we will be visiting the charming historic village of Ollantaytambo is located about half way
between Cusco and Machupicchu in the Urubamaba valley

- we are going straight to the sacred valley and you will enjoy our landscape you will see the country side
you will see how are the houses of our local people farmers and the most beautiful our snow cap
mountains this season dry season is so colorful you can see the blue sky some few clouds and it is the best
to appreciate in a really nice way our snow cap mountains enjoy your trip enjoy your moment here in this
part of Peru.

Driving across the altiplano here it reaches as high as 12500 feet high and there’s villages scattered through the
area they’re farming its some of highest farmlands in the world growing mostly potatoes up here beautiful views
of the Andes mountains as we drive along through the altiplano along the way we stop for a photo up to enjoy this
fantastic scenery spread out before us and sure enough that this seen it picture point there are some local
Quechua natives who are selling some of their handicrafts. There’s some great stuff for sale out in the middle of
nowhere, seems that you just can’t escape the opportunity to spend some money and buy some great stuff so we
do a little bargaining with the locals and we are all very satisfied coming away with some great stuff at a fair price.
And then we are approaching the valley of Urubamba which will be at slightly lower elevations and on the way we
stop for lunch at an excellent restaurant. This lunch was really tasty and delightful outdoor setting.

The climate in the Urubamba valley is just really quite lovely all year around. We are enjoying some very pleasant
temperatures here we are visiting in the month of July and there’s some llamas out in the backyard of the
restaurant and its really friendly place with very helpful servers, manager, yeah great supply, nice diversity cooked
foods salads and desserts. After lunch we drive a few miles to Ollantaytambo.

It’s an ancient village with stone walls that date back to the Inca days that are a still occupied today by the
Quechua native. It’s not a large area it’s certainly less than one square mile. It’s about half square mile of paths and
stone buildings. Following an original Inca urban plan and next to it is a huge Inca structure that goes up the hill
with large stone terraces and stair case you can climb. Most likely this was an Inca temple that was also used as
lookout point probably and in the early historic period there was a major battle fought here between the Inca and
the Spanish so it’s considered to be a fortress as well. Originally most likely it was a temple a large ceremonial
structure overlooking the village of Ollantaytambo. We’ll be climbing up the steep hillside to the temple in a little
while but first we are touring the village with our guide Elga.

- We will start walking, this way please.

This town is considered as a living museum because (until now) there are many people living in this place
(as) and still they keep the original Inca urban plan I was telling you this one (have) a great plan and you
can see how straight are the streets also look up over there, and look up there. It is the reason why this
town is considered one of the best example in Inca urban plan these are known as kanchas or also as
blocks kancha is the name in Quechua yeah?. Please we will keep walking to through that side.

You will be able to drop in to some of the homes there’s one particular home that welcomes the visitors you can go
inside and look at their kitchen they’ve got guinea pigs running around in the kitchen the dirt floor. There’s even a
young mama nursing her bruit here you can see this is quite the farm right in the kitchen. There’s also cats with
their kittens. They have a few little objects for sale. You can pick up wooden flute or a woolen hat, there’s small
little dolls all of this are handmade in Peru locally, you can buy them in the stores but much nicer to buy them

Lic. Raul Uscachi Santos

directly from the source here in the home. And an open domestic courtyard typical of many of the houses in this
village. And our guide Elga tells us about various items inside the house

- It is quinua maybe you have this or you saw this before always is dry it is Quinua…never ever have animals
to (plant) the soil it was mainly manpower…what kind of tools Incas used this one you can see it is one of
the ancient and oldest tools this is for this hand and this is for the foot. The man has to tilt the soil is a very,
very hard work but it is mainly the position the farmer will have to tilt the soil and very very soon we will
visit the Inca site. This is one of the examples about the tools they had stone hammer without handles the
stone mason depending on the skills they used to use this stone hammers to split up the rocks and by
percussion system, in this case, they (splitted) up on this way. They should have strong arms, hands and
mainly pounding by percussion system they did the work. These skulls they brought from the cemeteries.
The skulls mainly they brought the skulls because they believe this one will protect the family. If you’d like
to buy some souvenirs there are some dulls over there something just if you want. Now we will continue.

Going inside some of these buildings in a little village is always a much more rewarding experience than just
walking outside on the alley.

- (That) are the granaries or storehouses three different buildings why Incas built up soooo way up there in
order to keep cooler to preserve the crops the sun, the wind created a kind of a natural refrigeration
system.-
- (Is low) when the whole area is dry prefect in order to preserve mainly crops because all the crops they
used to store dry were not fresh not only crops also they used to store textiles or weapons or (everything)
that they needed. They normally used to store (on) this granaries . Please we will continue.

- Every part in this town (should) have water for the daily use, for the irrigation also, it is why , it is I am
talking mainly about the use this water had in ancient times because now the water they have is specially
running water and this (one) is just for irrigation or to do laundry.

Where does the water come from?

- Melt water is melt water
What is the water for?
- The water in Inca time it was mainly for irrigation and it was for the daily use but now is mainly
irrigation because in every house they have running water they never ever contaminated the water.

So it was for human waste then

- No, no, no in ancient times never ever because it was sacred, it was holly and they couldn’t pollute what
they consider sacred or holly never.

And you’ll have a chance to chat with the kids they are always eager to have their photograph taken in return for a
small tip and you‘d enjoy that as well. It’s worth giving them a dollar or so, for a nice photo with the kids. And
pretty soon you might find that the whole family would like to get in on the photograph in action which is even
better yet. These are pictures you are going to really enjoy.

And then surprisingly then modern age shows up in the midst of this ancient structures it’s kids in a internet game
room having fun. After you’ve seen the village It’s time to turn your attention to the temple on the hill this is a
fantastic Inca structure with stone terraces going all way up the hill side. You could easily walk over to this sacred
hill or since we have our bus waiting for us we took a short ride and as we get off the bus the locals are selling us
some water
(fresh water?)

This industrial side walk merchants have a lot of goods for sale you can buy hats and gloves and scarves and
sweaters. There’s a large handicraft market at the foot of the hill for those travelers who don’t want to climb up
Lic. Raul Uscachi Santos
high to see the sacred site you can easily spend half an hour shopping around while the rest of the group climbs up
the stone stair case but before we climb up the hill our guide talks us down below about the history and various
functions of this amazing site.

- After the arrival of the Spaniards when they saw this structure they thought it was a fort it is why (until
now)This place is known as a fort or fortress but it is a wrong idea given by the Spaniards they mainly were
soldiers and because here they fought against Spaniards in order to expel them on the very upper part
there’s another important ceremonial area… and has the finest style in architecture…the most beautiful
place with a finest quality in this case were the ceremonial areas…our local researchers don’t consider that
was a fort or a fortress..but this area is considered the main ceremonial area and as an administrative
center with multiple task had different buildings in order to house communers

- If there you can see the size of the rocks are smaller there’s clay in the between the rocks… because just
right there you can see the size of the rocks are very irregular but as soon we will be on the very upper part
believe me is so accurate the interlocking but beside that the size of the rocks will be bigger and bigger and
just on the very upper part are really huge. Up there believe me the size of the boulders are so huge as
minimum 40 tons the minimum weight…-

- The terraces had some important purposes or functions to plant crops by one hand and by the other hand
to control erosion because Incas always they used to look for rocky area why rocky areas because they
integrated into the structure the natural rock formations just right there you have the best example you
can see this huge rock formation and is in between the other terraces that they use for farming…

- ..but the other to give stability why they should have really strong foundation for the main buildings up
there. It is why these buildings last so many years because have a really strong foundation by one hand and
also the houses has a really special shape trapezoid shape the doorways, windows, niches has the
trapezoid shape and inward inclination this will give a really strong stability and will resist in a better way
earthquakes or tremors… they just follow the natural profile of the rock it is another important aspect.

- Also in order to link this part with the other one, on the very upper part there is a trail always Incas plan
network of roads. Not only in the whole territory also in every place there was a network of roads in the
whole territory there were at least over 23 000 miles of network of roads and to link these two areas for
sure was easier…

- …from here (to) you can see the other houses granaries or storehouses what we are observing right now is
the front wall how are inside has an underneath layer and these layers are mainly big rocks, the second
layer has gravel, the third layer is sand, the last layer where we are is soil, dirt…now you imagine the labor
to built the wall then to fill(ed) to bring sand because sand they (should) bring or from the river banks or if
not from the pacific ocean and dirt, soil…

- These rocks are from here but one that you will see very very soon on the very upper part are not from
here… is the crops they planted on these terraces and the best crops the best productions was given as an
offering to the God… why am I stopping here to show you these pieces because has this interior cross
section and as soon as we will be up there you will see the size of the rocks will be bigger and bigger and
bigger and how the work will be finer and finer just right here you can see how was the labor with these
stone hammers and patience and experience because the best stone masons they were the one(s) that
were in charge of this accurate work the angles are so precise and if you see this work and if you compare
with that one that is really really fine is finer still this one is rougher but as soon as we will get a little bit
higher you will see the size of the rocks area bigger is more accurate and a part of the profile is nicer
because that is part of the main foundation they built up to set just right up there the main holly area.

Lic. Raul Uscachi Santos

 Well ok, now that we know a lot about the beautiful structure in front of us, it’s time to make the climb it’as one of
those things that may look hard but later you will be very pleased very satisfied that you made the climb and got
up to the top to look at this beautiful site and this climb is specially worth well because the stone work that were
seen here at this ollantaytambo ceremonial area gets better and better as you climb to the top as our guide has
been describing the stones get larger more beautifully cut and more perfectly fit together and plus when you are
up at the top you got a beautiful viewl ooking out across the village and across the Urubamba valley all of which
makes it really worthwhile and you can stop and rest along the way if you are having any difficulty climbing there’s
no rush we have plenty of time you we’ve got the afternoon so you might as well take a hike and enjoy the site to
the…at most.

- …how huge are the boulders this doorway was in progress and is really interesting to show you because
you can see how they worked the angles the shape trapezoid doorway you can see the indentation…work
to give this shape and you can see the accurate interlocking…researchers had not yet agree(ed) about the
purpose of these protrusions but engineers and architects consider these were handles there is an
indentation on this also they could set some kind of crowbars or hard sticks to lean in order to work or to
get the accurate angles to fit…

We’ve certainly enjoyed our thrill visit to this sacred site this ceremonial hillside of Ollantaytambo and now it’s
time to came down from the mountain as we descend there’s some more beautiful features along the way this
cleansing fountain and then of course there are some markets at the bottom of the hill you got the village itself and
we make our way through the various stands more temptations there’s postcards, jewelry, sweaters very friendly
local people these folks are rally sweet and you really do want to buy something from them and the thing they are
selling are quite attractive and non expensive so by all means take some time to stop at the market place at the
foot of the hill.
- (llèvese) my friend hats, I have different colors
It makes pretty hard to say no.
- This different colors blue one, orange

You can do a little bargaining if you want and some of these vendors are very persistent they even follow you all
the way down the lanes to your bus reaches a point where you just wanna cave in and buy something

(How much is offer for you)

And of course the price goes down a little bit as you get closer to the bus.
After visiting this wonderful village of Ollantaytambo we continue in the Urubamba valley to spend the night at the
hotel posada del Inca Yucay and we arrive in the evening spend the night this is a lovely spot it’s a former
monastery for nuns they have some original clay store still here in the property there’s a chapel. I t seems like a
small village the way it is laid out, and in the morning they put on a wonderful breakfast you can get eggs cooked
order fruit, coffee, rolls, bread, cereals and those customized omelets fortified with this fabulous breakfast we are
beginning our day’s journey. We are going to Machupicchu today but we are gonna save the details of
Machupicchu for a later program because we have run out of time in today’s episode of world traveler so stay
tuned and we will soon bring you to Machupicchu on a future program with a very detailed look at this fabulous
site.

Lic. Raul Uscachi Santos