Another Inca City

Ollantaytambo, aka Ollanta, rests in the shadows of its ruins and is famous as the only place where the Incas prevailed over the Spanish conquistadores. We stopped there on our way to Machu Picchu, and en route caught a rare view of snow-capped Mount Veronica, usually shrouded in clouds. How would you like to wake up to this view every morning?

Along the way we saw farmers harvesting potatoes the old-fashioned way, and learned from Elvira that there are 300 varieties of potatoes in the Sacred Valley, and 3000 in Peru! She further explained that in the countryside it is still customary for an engaged couple to live together for two years (with his family) before they marry; and the bride must prove her worth by being able to peel these potatoes, leaving them the same size they were when unpeeled!

The ruins in Ollanta soar steeply from the plaza and its market, and it’s easy to see how the Incas established their dominant position here. The town grid has remained unchanged since Inca times.

  Crypts are carved into the hillside, a common practice among the Incas.

Since we were on our way to Machu Picchu, I felt no urge to climb the Ollanta ruins!