Inca Ruins by junge1
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Description
These huge, steep terraces that guard Ollantaytambo's spectacular Inca ruins mark one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle.
The rebellious Manco Inca had retreated to this fortress after a defeat at Sacsaywaman, In 1536, Hernando Pizarro, Francisco's younger half-brother, led a force of 70 cavalrymen to Ollantaytambo, supported by large numbers of indigenous and Spanish foot soldiers, in an attempt to capture Manco Inca.
The conquistadors, showered with arrows, spears and boulders from atop the steep terraces, were unable to climb to the fortress. In a brilliant move, Manco Inca flooded the plain below the fortress through previously prepared channels. With Spaniards' horses bogged down in the water, Pizarro ordered a hasty retreat, chased down by thousands of Manco Inca's victorious soldiers.
Yet the Inca victory would be short lived. Spanish forces soon returned with a quadrupled cavalry force and Manco fled to his jungle stronghold in Viilcabamba (Source: Lonely Planet, Peru, 8th ed., April 2013).
This picture was taken on 26 August 2014, Sig...
Comments (17)
Faemike55
The image is impressive as the people show the scale of these ruins. It's no wonder that Pizarro lost that skirmish.
Great photo and cool information
Madbat
That's really quite a dramatic looking country. I'd love to see it, but my knees would go on strike after 20 minutes in country lol.
starship64 Online Now!
What a fascinating place.
ontar1
Wow, fantastic view!
T.Rex
Beautiful photo of a huge place. I wonder how the Spaniards finally succeeded in going up this. Or did they find a way around it? And why did they HAVE to fight here? Or the Incas? What was there to gain? Glad to see you post more photos from the Inca lands. Keep up the good work! More, please! :-)
Juliette.Gribnau
wonderful view
blankfrancine
Magnificent ruin,great info, and fine capture.
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God bless.
Buffalo1
Spectacular ruins and some great history to go along with it.
durleybeachbum
Easy to imagine all the horror from your photo.
Richardphotos
hard to conceive the amount of man power it took to build these. outstanding capture.
did you know that there are suppose to be pyramids and mounds around St Louis?
junge1
@T.Rex:When the Spaniards came back with a much larger force, Manco Inca fled to his jungle fortress. By the way, Manco Inca was married to his sister and one of their sons became one of the last Inca rulers. To answer your question of why the Spaniards were there. I didn't give it much thought when I was there, but I thought about it while I posted this picture. The only reason I can think of is greed. The hunger for gold and precious stones it was all for the crown (in this case the king/queeen of Spain) and the Church, i.e. the Vatican. If you ever have the chance to see the cathedral in Seville, Spain, there is an entire end of the nave lined with solid gold, of course there are bars in front of it. I took a picture of this, but can't the picture. it is burried in one of my albums.
Spain wasn't the only nation that blundered other cultures, all the European colonial powers did it!.
junge1
The base of this fortification and temple is 9,100-ft above sea level and the rocks used to construct this fortification were mined 6 miles away across the Urubamba River.
junge1
No, I didn't know this Richard!
farmerC
Exellent.
sharky_
It does look like giant steps.... Nice shot. Aloha
flavia49