Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo () is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti, after the mid-15th century. He built a town and a ceremonial center there. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. It is now an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca ruins and its location en route to a starting point for the four-day, three-night hike of the Inca Trail.

== History == Human occupation on the site may date back as far as 3,500 years. Some buildings here date to well before the time of the Incas, who conquered it in the mid-15th century. In and around the town of Ollantaytambo contains evidence of settlements of the Huari civilization (600 – 1000 AD). The Fortress of Pumamarka, a military citadel, controlled access to Ollantaytambo using what later became known as the Inca Trail.