<\/span>Key moment in history:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen the Spanish captured Cusco, Manco Inca fled to Ollantaytambo. In 1536, the Spanish attempted a surprise attack on the valley below. From the top of the fortress, Inca Emperor Manco led his army to defeat the Spanish using stones, arrows, and controlled floods at the bottom of the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In ancient times, Ollantaytambo was a small settlement. When Pachacuti became the ninth Inca and conquered the region, he destroyed the town and turned it into his personal estate. On the hilltop, he built a llaqta (a city-fortress) to defend against the antis (jungle tribes) descending from higher up the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ollantaytambo is considered a masterpiece of Inca architecture. The main section features 17 impressive terraces leading up to a fortress. At the summit stands an impressive wall with 10 niches and the Gate of the Sun, as well as a monolithic Temple of the Sun made up of six massive pink granite blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The temple has 150 steps separating its upper and lower sections, where the precision of the stonework is clearly visible. Built from granite, the highlight is the Wall of the Six Monoliths, joined together with stone slabs (designed to absorb seismic shocks during earthquakes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n