June 27, 2008 (Continuation of journal)
Our next stop was a visit to the village and ruins of Ollantaytambo, where the Inca king Pachacutec built his fortress. This village has been consistently Quechua/Inca, as it was never captured by the Spanish. Myth has it that the town’s name comes from an Inca captain, Ollanta, who fell in love with Pachacutec’s daughter. Pachacutec forbade them from marrying, and Ollanta rebelled. Pachacutec was killed in the battle that followed and Ollanta almost defeated the army of the empire, but was betrayed. The new Inca king took pity on him because he was a great warrior, so he allowed Ollanta to marry the princess after all.
Ollantaytambo was the site of the greatest victory for the Inca over the invading Spanish forces. Ollantaytambo was the rebel headquarters for the last of the Inca rulers, Manco Inca Yupanqui. When the Spanish arrived at sunrise…
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