On Saturday Afernoon we went to Ollantaytambo, a small village in the Urubamba River Valley up river from Aguas Calientes. This was the site of a major Inca City where the Incas resisted the Spanish for a number of years before leaving it deserted. The Incas were a Bronze Age civilisation so were no match for the Spanish with their horses, wagons and (especially) cannons. The Fortress here is another spectacular example of Inca engineering with huge granite blocks quarried on the mountain on the opposite side of the river and dragged down one mountain and up the next, before being finished to perfection by very skilled stone masons.
One of the interesting things we´ve noticed here is the syncretism of the locals. For example they put charms on their roofs that include both the symbols of the Inca deities and the cross. They spill a little of their wine on the ground as an offering to the earth mother then cross themselves to thank God for their food.
On Saturday Afernoon we went to Ollantaytambo, a small village in the Urubamba River Valley up river from Aguas Calientes. This was the site of a major Inca City where the Incas resisted the Spanish for a number of years before leaving it deserted. The Incas were a Bronze Age civilisation so were no match for the Spanish with their horses, wagons and (especially) cannons. The Fortress here is another spectacular example of Inca engineering with huge granite blocks quarried on the mountain on the opposite side of the river and dragged down one mountain and up the next, before being finished to perfection by very skilled stone masons. 
One of the interesting things we´ve noticed here is the syncretism of the locals. For example they put charms on their roofs that include both the symbols of the Inca deities and the cross. They spill a little of their wine on the ground as an offering to the earth mother then cross themselves to thank God for their food.
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