Ollantaytambo

We left Aguas Calientes and said good-bye to Machu Picchu, but within 5 minutes we were at our next stop - Ollantaytambo. It is another abandoned Inca temple, unfortunately unfinished. The structure was daunting - many stairs to the top, but we knew we would regret not walking up them, so 200+ steps later, we were at the top. The granite used for the temple came from across the mountain, and the Inca slid the rocks down the hill where the quarry was, pushed it across the large river that is much smaller in the dry season, and then, they used a ramp to push/pull the large rock up to the top. They used ropes made of alpaca, which are very strong, to pull the rocks up the hill, and then they chipped and shaped the rocks to fit together tightly. Unfortunately, when the Spaniards arrived, they destroyed much of the structure, but the essentials pieces remain. After getting toward the top, it was easy to pick out the storage facilities high on the mountains. The Inca stored seeds and grain there to distribute to farmers as needed. It was high enough to keep intruders away, and enough grain was stored to furnish many farmers. The day was beautiful and not too hot, which allowed us to climb the temple rather easily. We were quite pleased we succeeded.