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Our next stop was Pisaq. This hilltop Inca citadel lies high above the village on a triangular plateau with a plunging gorge on either side. It is 3800m above sea level and has significant agricultural terracing, which sweeps around the mountain in huge curves.
The drive along the valley through the mountains was spectacular. After stopping for lunch we went onto Ollantaytambo. The huge, steep terraces that guard Ollantaytambo’s spectacular Inca ruins mark one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle. It was in 1536, Hernando Pizarro (Frans’ younger half-bro) led a force of 70 cavalrymen here, supported by large numbers of indigenous and Spanish footsoldiers, in an attempt to capture Manco Inca. Pizarro’s men were showered with arrows, spears and boulders from atop the steep terracing and were unable to climb to the fortress.
Our last stop along the route was Chinchero. Known to the Incas as the birthplace of the rainbow, these ruins now have a church built on top of what was the palace of one of the 4 Inca emperors. There is again a lot of terracing over looking some wonderful mountain views. We somehow found ourselves in the local textile market being demonstrated weaving and dying techniques of the sheep and alpaca wool used in their products. Purchases were made and we headed back to Cusco!
