Pisac

Most people visit Pisac to see the market on Sunday, but there are smaller markets on
both Tuesday and Thursday. However Pisac is a pretty village and has plenty of small
handicraft shops and is worth a visit on any day of the week. There are local buses
departing from Cusco every 15 minutes for the one hour ride to Pisac village. Local buses
cost about US$1.5 each way. A taxi can be hired for about US$15 each way. There is no
public transport up to the ruins. You can either hike up, starting from the plaza (allow two
hours round trip). Alternatively you can negotiate with a local taxi driver to take you there
(about 20 minutes following a long winding road) and either return by taxi or walk down hill
to the plaza. (A local taxi costs approximately US$10 each way)

Pisac Ruins

A vital Inca road once snaked its way up the canyon that enters the Urubamba Valley at
Pisac. The citadel, at the entrance to this gorge, now in ruins, controlled a route which
connected the Inca Empire with Paucartambo, on the border of the eastern jungles. Set
high above a valley floor patchworked by patterned fields and rimmed by vast terracing,
the stonework and panoramas at Pisac's Inca citadel are magnificent. Terraces, water
ducts and steps have been cut out of solid rock, and in the upper sector of the ruins, the
main Sun Temple is equal of anything at Machu Picchu. Above the temple lie still more
ruins, mostly unexcavated, and among the higher crevices and rocky overhangs several
ancient burial sites are hidden

Pisac Village and Market (2,970m)

Modern Pisac is a picturesque Andean Village, typical except for the huge, spreading
pisonary tree that dominates the central square. The village is best known for its Sunday
market, which draws hundreds of tourists each week. In spite of its popularity the market
retains much of its local charm, at least in the part where villagers from miles around
gather to barter and sell their produce. In the tourist section of the market you can buy a
wide variety of handicrafts - mostly the same things you see in Cusco. Many of the guide
books state that handicrafts are cheaper than Cusco but in recent years I haven't noticed
much difference in price. My advice is if you like something in Cusco, buy it! And likewise in
Pisac. Don't wait around hoping you'll find it a few dollars cheaper elsewhere. Pisac is a
good place to buy the local ceramics including a huge and varied collection of hand-painted
multi-colored beads. There are smaller markets in Pisac on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Ollantaytambo (2,800m)
Ollantaytambo is an attractive little town located at the western end of the Sacred Valley
(about two and a half hours by bus from Cusco). The town has been built on top of original
Inca foundations and is the best surviving example of Inca town planning. The town is
divided in canchas (blocks) which are almost entirely intact. Each cancha has only one
entrance (usually a huge stone doorway) which leads into a central courtyard. The houses
surround the courtyard. Good examples of this construction can be found behind the main
plaza.

The town is located at the foot of some spectacular Inca ruins (entrance with the Tourist
Ticket 'Boleto Turistico') which protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba
Valley. The temple area is at the top of steep terracing which helped to provide excellent
defenses. Stone used for these buildings was brought from a quarry high up on the
opposite side of the Urubamba river - an incredible feat involving the efforts of thousands
of workers. The complex was still under construction at the time of the conquest and was
never completed.
After Manco Inca was defeated by the Spanish at Sacsayhuaman following the
unsuccessful siege of Cusco (1536) he retreated to Ollantaytambo. Francisco Pizarro's
younger brother Hernando led a force of 70 cavalry, 30 foot soldiers and a large
contingent of natives to capture Manco Inca. The Inca's forces, joined by neighboring
jungle tribes, rained down showers of arrows, spears and rocks upon the unfortunate
Spanish troops. In an intelligent move the Inca's flooded the plains below their stronghold
making it difficult for the horses to maneuver. Hernando, uncharacteristically, ordered a
hasty retreat. Ollantaytambo became the only place ever to have resisted attacks from
the Spanish.
However, their victory was short-lived when the Spanish returned with four times their
previous force. Manco Inca retreated to his jungle stronghold in Vilcabamba and
Ollantaytambo fell into the hands of the Spanish.