Ollantaytambo is potentially one of Peru’s most visually befuddling sites. When you take a good look at this site, which is believed to be that of the Incas and is situated at an altitude of 2,792 meters above sea level, it becomes almost difficult to imagine that the Incan civilisation, with their limited technical resources, might have constructed such a place.
Ollantaytambo was Emperor Pachacuti’s royal estate during the Inca Empire, and when he invaded the area, he founded the town and the ceremonial center inside, according to academia.
It is such an impressive, perfectly positioned strategic structure that it acted as a fortress for Manco Inca Yupanqui, the Inca resistance leader, during the Spanish invasion.
The area is now known as the Holy Valley of the Incas and is a popular tourist destination. However, as we’ve addressed many times on our channel, how could a civilization build such amazing architecture at such a young point in history?
Furthermore, why did they build any of these websites in the first place, and what reason could they have served? Some of the ruins found in Peru, especially in Ollantaytambo, make you wonder if they were designed for human use. If the giant stairs carved into the hillside were, for example, intended for human use, why were they built to such large scales?
According to legend, the Incan emperor Pachacuti “conquered” Ollantaytambo and the surrounding territory in the mid-15th century. Any of this was included in his own assets.
The emperor then appears to have restored the town with extravagant constructions and to have terraced and irrigated the Urubamba Valley expertly… Particularly notable, without any previous knowledge of these techniques…
Ollantaytambo’s main settlement has an orthogonal pattern, with four longitudinal streets intersected by seven parallel streets. A broad courtyard, accessible to the east and flanked on three sides by halls and other town blocks, sits at the center of this grid. The northern part of the city has a broader variety of architectural designs.
Surprisingly, the amount of deterioration that has happened over the years has made it impossible to assess the initial plans, perhaps suggesting its true age? Was giants once able to use these huge ledge steps? Or maybe it served a function close to the ancient site of Morray?
This mind-boggling site had an awesome intent, according to Morray, who also claimed to be Incan.
It suggests that the creators of this huge building were horticulturists. They’d found out that by constructing these elevated ledges at precise angles to the seasonal winds and heat, they could eventually acclimate plants that weren’t previously adapted to the atmosphere over several years.
Maybe this was the intention of Ollantaytambo. Moray is little established in academia, and its presence, as well as its previous purpose, are difficult to understand using current paradigms. And, while not giants, we think the sites were once similarly spectacular.
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