Ollantaytambo

From:  peru.travel

The Ollantaytambo temple is an impressive architectural ensemble. It is located at 2,792 meters altitude and is 3,500 years old. It is believed that its construction was oriented towards the city of Cusco, as its architects sought to defend themselves against the Incas. They also chose this area because of the underground water channels they discovered at great depth. The Ollantaytambo builders designed an aqueduct system, which is still fully operational today. Each fountain was carved out of rock with its own characteristics and designs. The best known and considered the most beautiful is the ñusta fountain, made of a single stone and decorated in the form of a portal.

According to researchers, this complex has its origins in the Aymara culture.

In the fortress, we can find six huge rectangular stone blocks that belong to the Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun). They are located in one of the highest areas of the place and it seems to be a construction that has been left unfinished. The largest monolith is over four meters high and two meters wide. The construction has a plaza in which a large block with perfect edges is located, and which, at the same time, is oriented towards the cardinal points. The streets are divided into straight lines through which the water flows through channels.

One of the most surprising details of Ollantaytambo is that the rocks found in the complex are perfectly polished, have impeccable cuts, and are intact, which means that the builders were able to lift the stones and transport them without suffering any damage. This is quite a feat because the fortress is built on a very steep slope. Without a doubt, Ollantaytambo is one of the great wonders of Inca architecture that to this day generates doubts and questions, many of them still unanswered.