The Temple Hill of Ollantaytambo was constructed by Emperor Patchacuti in the mid-1400s. Patchacuti was the ninth Sapa Inca, best known as the founder of Machu Picchu. During his reign, Patchacuti extended the Inca Empire throughout Western South America. Ollantaytambo is considered Patchacuti's personal estate, a place where Inca nobility frequented.
The Temple Hill lies on the outskirts of Ollantaytambo, on the Northwest side of the city. Admission to the Temple Hill is included in the price of the Boleto Turistico del Cusco (tourist ticket), which is sold in Cusco for $45. I did this ruins as part of an organized tour, which included a guide. Without a guide, you will be looking at old rocks and some decent hiking, with little appreciation for the site. I would highly recommend using a guide to tour the ruins.
When you arrive at the Temple Hill, there is a large parking area with no parking available. A row of restaurants and shops lines the southern side of the plaza. An Incan Market sits where the parking lot should be. Buses are tightly controlled in the constrictive area. The Incan Market has four or five rows of small shops, offering a variety of Inca craftsmanship. If you are looking for cheap souvenirs, this is a decent place to stop. I wouldn't vouch for the authenticity of the craftsmanship (much of the textile is likely machine made), but the prices are fairly decent, and it is likely to be alpaca (if that is what they are selling it as). If you ask, the vendors will generally tell you if the material is a blend or pure. If you are part of a tour group, you may not get much time to shop. I stayed in Ollantaytambo at the end of my tour and had plenty of time to look around.
Near the entrance to the site, an old blind man strummed away on a harp-like instrument while crooning along with his music. It was interesting, and worthy enough for me to drop a couple of soles in his box. It is easy to go through soles, so it is a good idea to have plenty with you when you travel around Peru. Restrooms will often cost one sole, and if you want to take your picture with a local Peruvian dressed in the traditional Inca attire, expect to give them a couple of soles.
There was a small structure at the entrance to the Temple Hill where our tickets were verified and punched. It appeared you could purchase a single ticket at this location, but I did not inquire about the price. As my group cleared the ticketing area, we moved to the base of terraces, stepped up the side of a large hill between two rock outcrops. Field stones reinforce the steps, which were used for agriculture. Wide steps (usually around ten feet or so) were used for agriculture. Shorter steps, often on the side of mountains or hills that house structures, were used to act as a foundation to reinforce the hill and structures on top. Examples of this can be seen along the right side of the terraces, leading up to the Temple.
As we ascended the steps toward the temple structure, we paused on one of the terraces to look at the mountains to the East of the Temple Hill. These mountains housed three prominent structures that were described as granaries. Smaller structures and a trail were also visible. The smaller structures were watch towers. If you enjoy hiking, Ollantaytambo has numerous trails to navigate. We could see hikers navigating the trails around the storehouses from our perch on the terraces along the Temple Hill.
(The yellowish areas ares structures that served as granaries)
As we reached the Temple of Ten Niches, we observed the change in the stone work from the rough field stones to polished, tightly fitting stones. The finest polished stonework was reserved for temples. The dwelling place of the king was also given great attention to detail. As structures are built for lower classes of people or routine uses, the quality of stonework also diminishes correspondingly. The Temple of Ten Niches has trapezoidal windows that create an audio anomaly. If you stick your head into the niche and speak, you will discover the first stereo system. The sound reverberates off the sides of the window creating an interesting amplification effect.
Photo obtained from Ollantaytambo.org
Above the Temple of Ten Niches is a large stone designed as a seating are for the King and Queen. It is an over-watch point that provides a fantastic view of Ollantaytambo. From this vantage point, you are supposed to have the best view of an Inca profile carved into the mountain to the East of Temple Hill. This carving lies to the North of the granaries below a rock outcropping near the apex of the mountain.
(The Incan image can be seen in the center of this photo from the opposing hill)
Next, we visited the unfinished Temple of the Sun. Here, six large stones are tightly fitted together in what is believed to have been one wall of a temple that was under construction. These large stones were dragged from a quarry six kilometers away. The quarry is visible to the eye to the east of the Temple. The large ramp that was used to drag the rocks from the quarry is still intact along the east side of the Temple.
Signs of the sudden cessation of building are visible along the ramp. Large stones were simply abandoned, some just meters from the platform that forms the base of the temple. While the exact reason is unknown, it is widely believed that construction stopped with the arrival of the Spanish. Our guide suggested that the Incas fled into the valley toward Machu Picchu, a site that the Spanish never discovered. It is notable that this location was the only place where the Inca won a battle against the Spanish, causing them to withdraw before returning with a much larger force.
If you are visiting the Temple Hill, I would strongly advise that you wear a hat. If you did not bring one with you, you can purchase them for around ten soles at the market right before you enter the ruins. I did not wear a hat. I was on the terraces and at the temple for a total of about two hours. It was a cool day and even slightly overcast. In two hours, I sustained a fairly decent sunburn. It was significant enough that I bought a hat as I exited the ruins to protect me for the rest of the day and the duration of my trip. With the altitude and proximity to the equator, my skin was very susceptible to the sun.
I enjoyed the Temple Hill ruins. The exercise was decent, although not vigorous. The stone stairs leading through the terraces were stable and easy to navigate. The total number of stairs from bottom to top is around two hundred. These are slightly taller stairs than you would normally find. If you have issues with the altitude and already have any health conditions, you may consider skipping this one. If you are healthy, it is well worth the views of the city, alone. The history was a bonus.
Unless otherwise noted, all photos are my own. They may be reproduced with prior permission.