1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - Back in the village we walked passed many of the shops set up outside the ruins.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - We posed for a photograph at this scenic spot on top of the Ollantaytambo ruins overlooking the village below (note the stone storehouse structure on the hillside in the background).
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - As neared the summit, Bob paused for a look back over the valley.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - From the summit, we could see an approaching storm.  So with the wind picking up, we decided to begin our descent.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - After our rafting adventure, we moved on to the village of Ollantaytambo.  The town's structures were built on top of the original Inca foundations, which makes the village probably the best surviving example of Inca town planning.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - At Ollantaytambo, we had our first close-up look at the amazing precision of Inca stonework.  In contrast to the rough stonework we had seen at Pisac, this smooth, carefully joined stonewall was evidence of a revered Inca structure.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - Near the crest of the Ollantaytambo ruins, we came across this trapezoidal doorway that was typical of Inca architecture.  But it was not immediate evident as to why the Incas had built it at this spot.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - The Incas may have won the battle at Ollantaytambo, but the emperor Manco II realized that hope was futile that he could ever recapture his former capital of Cuzco.  It was perhaps at this spot - where tourists now pose for photographs - that Manco delivered an emotional farewell speech to his troops before retreating farther into the jungle to escape the Spaniards.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - At the top we discovered the remains of an Inca sun temple with its massive monoliths of pale pink porphyry, each some 11 feet high.
OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - Back in the village we walked passed many of the shops set up outside the ruins.
1000places > OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - Back in the village we walked passed many of the shops set up outside the ruins.
OLLANTAYTAMBO, PERU - Back in the village we walked passed many of the shops set up outside the ruins.
See photo in gallery

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