{"id":2403,"date":"2019-11-29T11:30:08","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T16:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inkayniperutours.com\/blog\/?p=2403"},"modified":"2026-05-12T10:10:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:10:03","slug":"ollantaytambo-the-inca-living-city-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inkayniperutours.com\/blog\/ollantaytambo-the-inca-living-city-2","title":{"rendered":"Ollantaytambo, the Inca living city"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ollantaytambo<\/b> is listed as a living Culture, and a Living Inca City since its inhabitants live according to customs inherited from their ancestors. Their houses are built on Inca bases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ollantaytambo is located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in the province of Urubamba (Cusco). It is located 2,792 meters above sea level, almost 60 kilometers from the city of Cusco. The town sits next to the Urubamba River.<\/span><\/p>\n

You will be amazed to see narrow streets of stone, which have original water channels from the Inca era in which a large amount of water flows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Templo<\/p>\n

Temple of the Sun – Ollantaytambo<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n

Ollantaytambo is a marvel of engineering and architecture. Today one of the most asked questions probably is regarding the incredible sized blocks of stone that were used in the construction. Some of these over-sized rocks are found at the highest levels of Ollantaytambo. So now, the question is, how did they manage to cut these rocks out of the mountain and carry them while crossing the river and place them up in the mountain?<\/span><\/p>\n

History:<\/b><\/h4>\n

The construction of Ollantaytambo began in the early 1400s, by order of Inca Pachacutec, who launched an expansion of his regional Cusco kingdom and thus commissioned the building of many control complexes; Ollantaytambo was one of them, intended to establish Inca rule over the valley. When the Spanish invaders conquered Cusco, Ollantaytambo became the last stronghold of the Incas in the Andes. Manco Inca and his armies fought a battle against the Spanish expedition led by Hernando Pizarro. However, the resistance of Manco Inca could not stop the Spanish attack, so they had to flee to the city of Vilcabamba, in the jungle of Cusco.<\/span><\/p>\n

Origin of the name:<\/b><\/h4>\n

The source of the name has several approaches. According to the Aymara language, Ollantaytambo comes from the word Ulla-nta-wi, which means \u00abplace to look down.\u00bb The word Tambo is added later. For the Quechua language, the name comes from the word Ollanta (the name of an Inca captain, whose story was saved as an oral tradition and written as a drama by Antonio Valdez, a priest of Urubamba in the mid-eighteenth century). The term Tambo, a Spanish derivation of the word Quechua tampu, which means \u00abcity that offers accommodation, food, and comfort to travelers.\u00bb<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ollantaytambo-Fot\u00f3grafa

Ollantaytambo- Paula Andrea Plaza photographer<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Is it worth visiting?<\/b><\/h4>\n

Absolutely! It is the only Inca town where many residents still live in the ancient Inca buildings dating back centuries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here you can see streets and houses Incas almost intact, a magnificent temple built with huge stones in a beautiful architectural style and a sanctuary with canals and waterfalls. Ollantaytambo has its railway station where you can leave for Machu Picchu instead of from Cusco.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Ollantaytambo is considered one of the most critical places in South America.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n