Ollantaytambo
| Ollantaytambo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 13 ° 16 ′ S , 72 ° 16 ′ W | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Peru | ||
| Cusco | |||
| province | Urubamba | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | PE-CUS | ||
| District | Ollantaytambo | ||
| height | 2848 m | ||
| Residents | 3050 (2017) | ||
| politics | |||
| mayor | José Ríos Coronel (2019-2022) |
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 View of Ollantaytambo
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Ollantaytambo ( Quechua , German: "Memory of my God") is a city in the southern part of Peru ( Urubamba Province , Cusco Region ) and is located about 60 km northwest of Cusco and 21 km from Urubamba . The city is located at an altitude of 2848 meters on the right bank of the Río Urubamba . According to a legend, their god Viracocha is said to have instructed the Inca to build the city.
The city is the administrative seat of the district of the same name . The 2017 census counted 3,050 inhabitants.
history
Ollantaytambo is the only remaining example of urban planning from the Inca period . The buildings and Inca terraces as well as the narrow streets of the city are still in their original state. The straight and narrow streets form 15 square blocks ( canchas ), each with an entrance to the central courtyard, which is surrounded by houses. Some posh houses are made up of perfectly crafted Inca walls made of dark pink stone. The Inca built administrative, agricultural, military and religious institutions in Ollantaytambo.
On the mountain side of Ollantaytambo there is an imposing Inca complex, which is commonly called fortaleza (English bulwark or fortress) due to its extraordinarily strong walls . In fact, this complex was strategically located to dominate the Sacred Valley of the Incas . This is where Manco Cápac II retired in 1537 after the failed siege of Cuzco to gather his remaining soldiers in the fight against the Conquistadors .
Inca terraces in Ollantaytambo
Monoliths in Ollantaytambo
Temple in Ollantaytambo
Faces carved into the rock by the Inca near Pinkuylluna
literature
- Eliana Gamarra (Ed.): Historias de mi pueblo. Ollantaytambo, Maras, Pumahuanca, Yucay (= Biblioteca de la tradición oral andina. Vol. 18). Centro de Estudios Regionales Andinos Bartolomé de Las Casas, Cuzco 1999, ISBN 9972-691-20-2 .
Web links
- Information about Ollantaytambo (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peru: Cusco - Provinces & Places. www.citypopulation.de, accessed on February 16, 2020 .