Random photos from hikes around Ollantaytambo

These photos comprise a selection from the many photos taken on site visits around the major tourist attraction of Ollantaytambo, the famous site of one of the battles between the Inkas and the Spaniards in which the Inkas supposedly flooded the plain to fend off the horse-mounted Spaniards.
These are some of the terraces and the nicest part of the main site of Ollantaytambo, located at the end of the Sacred Valley before beginning the approach to Machu Picchu.


Some of the many storehouses located along the hillsides surrounding Ollantaytambo and into the Patacancha Valley that runs north from there.

Hiking through the Patacancha Valley, one passes through acres of fine Inka terracing on the way to a possible military administrative center called Pumamarca. That´s a lot of agricultural production.

Nearly all the buildings at Pumamarca have evidence of the roof being burned, which caved in and smoldered before destroying the building itself. The question archaeologists can´t really answer is whether the Inkas did it when they fled or the Spaniards did it to destroy native infrastructure.

A not-so-great overview of the site.
Another imperfect photo of the zigzagging walls surrounding one side of the site. These are good for increasing defensibility.

The preservation is so good at Pumamarca, you can still see the ichu rope used to secure beams.



More evidence of burning.
Positions for beams to support a second story.

More nice terracing on the hike back to Ollantaytambo (this one is about 3.5 hours roundtrip if you go quickly; the books say 5 hours).