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Views of Ollantaytambo

We stopped for the night at a town called Ollantaytambo (pronounced O’Leon-tye-TAM-bo).  This was an interesting place with lots to see.  This post will give you a view of some of the scenery around and within the walls of this very old city.

Farm Life in the Andes

Just outside of Ollantaytambo, I saw this view of what seems to me to be a fairly typical depiction of farm life in the Andes.  I think it really helps to show you why terracing is so important in this area.  I can’t see any other way to plant their crops!

Face in the Rock

 

As we stood on one of the small “streets” (I use the term lightly) in town, we could look up and see this incredible carving.  Yes, it’s a face in the rock.  However, the most amazing thing about this (and something we did not unfortunately get to see) was that when the ancient Incan people carved this face, they positioned it so that on the solstice (June 21 or 22), the shadows created by the sun makes it appear that he is blinking.  Ok, so it’s one slow blink, but the fact they carved this AND positioned it so this would happen is almost unbelievable!

Shrines in a Home

We also were allowed inside one family’s private living quarters.  In this sort of gathering room, there were a few shrines.  In case you are wondering, the small animal on the left side of the image is an aborted alpaca fetus.  I almost didn’t include this image in the blog, but it is something that is part of life there.  I can’t recall the exact reason why they do this, but I believe it’s some sort of appeal to the gods.

Skulls in Shrine in Private Home

 

Here’s another shrine in the same home and in the same gathering room.  For some reason, seeing skulls didn’t affect me as much as the baby alpaca.  Again, a tribute of some sort.  It seemed rather morbid to me, but then, in New Mexico, there is the Day of the Dead and there are skulls all over the place for that, so who am I to judge?

Stove Inside Private Home

 

This is the last photo from inside this home.  This is a stove that they use to cook on.  Makes our camping look quite progressive, even if done in a tent and we cook outdoors!  After all, we’re only doing that for a few days, not every day.

Kitty and Cactus

I thought this would be a good image to lighten the mood a bit!  Loved this kitty perched on a wall right next to some prickly pear cactus.  I have to admit, we saw this cactus around all over the place…..and we were in a rain forest up fairly high in the Andes.  I always thought of cactus as being in the desert, but I guess this falls under learning something new every day!

Growing on the Roof

I really love all the colors and texture going on in this image!  The roof is some sort of clay or slate tiles and the building is made of stone.  Add to that the texture of the plants growing out of the roof, and it’s great!  I don’t know if anyone lived in that building, tho.

Ollantaytambo Church Bells

I really liked the simplicity and simple lines of this image.  I don’t know if the bells actually are still rung.  More to come in the next blog – views of the ruins around the town!

Enjoy!