Remote Sensing the Mysteries of Ollantaytambo

Look closely: many mysteries are contained in this photograph of Ollantaytambo, Peru. I took it “from the hip” during my visit to the ancient city. Only recently, while magnifying photos like this, did I discover several details that I overlooked while on site. Remote sensing at its simplest – through a telephoto lens!    

(Above) View of Ollantaytambo, looking north.

The original “wide shot” photo shows portions of Ollantaytambo’s spiritual, military, and agricultural sectors. I’ve “zoomed in” on various aspects of the image to create four, more detailed, shots. 

You Make Your Own Path

Okay, I admit it: I’ve taken a strange and winding path over the last few years, and now I’m totally obsessed with Andean history. When I started researching the Incas, my goal was to establish a foundation for writing a sequel to Chaturanga. But one thing led to another and now I’m making videos and posting about ancient architecture, mythology, metaphysics, and geocosmic alignments.

(Above) Standing next to the Machu Picchu's Sun Gate (Intipunku), overlooking the mysterious "lost city of the Incas."

What happened, you ask? Consuming books and delving back through ancient texts, I’m both shocked and fascinated by how little we truly know about our past. The linear version of history that I was taught in school – largely based upon huge assumptions, yet which I accepted without a second thought – is rapidly being disrupted by new discoveries and theories. The more I learn about ancient Peru (and its counterparts around the world), the more I appreciate that history is, indeed, a vast and mysterious frontier for the modern-day explorer.

Llaqtallaqtayoc: A Little-Known Ruins in the Sacred Valley of Peru

In southern Peru’s Sacred Valley, on a mountain west of the ancient city of Ollantaytambo, lie the ruins of several stone structures. The original name and purpose are not known, but this site may predate the Inca Empire. Its proximity to the ancient rock quarry of Cachiqata has inspired a theory that these buildings once served as an administrative office, or perhaps as a school for masons. Long before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1530s, Andean stoneworkers may have come here to learn the arts of toolmaking, stone-splitting and shaping, as well as methods for transporting and setting these gigantic blocks. In this video, I explore what is left of this complex and how it may have supported construction activities at Cachiqata and Ollantaytambo.

My guide explained that this site is known by two names. The first, Llaqtallaqtayoc, means “big place” or “big town.” However, judging by the small size of this ruins, that name doesn’t seem to apply, unless it’s actually a reference to nearby Ollantaytambo. Or maybe the name had been altered over many centuries. Was it originally called “Llaqta camayoc,” which is Quechua for “village administrator,” in reference to its role as the quarry’s administrative office?

The Coricancha: Part 4

This is the final blog post (and video) about the Coricancha, or “Great Enclosure,” located in Cusco, Peru. Here are the links to Part 1 and Parts 2 and 3.

My final hours at the Coricancha were spent investigating the many trapezoidal doorways and niches, as well as the mysterious enclosures located on the eastern and western sides of the complex. I also investigated the instructive model that site curators constructed to theorize what the entire structure may have looked like before the Spaniards attacked it with their crowbars. Next, I ventured outside to investigate the top of the distinctive, curved wall on the Coricancha’s exterior, paying particular attention to the perplexing square- and rectangle-shaped protrusions on the stones. My visit concluded with an examination of two modern paintings – of the Milky Way and invisible “ceque” lines – on display in an open-aired hallway, and which emphasize this site’s astrological and religious function.

In previous posts and videos, I spend a significant amount of time discussing the trapezoid shape used at the Coricancha and throughout pre-Spanish architecture;

The Coricancha: Parts 2 and 3

This is the second in a series of blog posts and videos about the Coricancha, or “Great Enclosure,” located in Cusco, Peru. Read the first post here.

The Coricancha is one of those historical sites that allow you to truly appreciate a bygone era – not just by looking at old ruins or perusing informational plaques, but by literally feeling the spiritual energy of the past. When I visited, I spent my first half-hour in a blissful trance, overcome with wonder that I was really there – physically standing inside the Great Enclosure of the Incas. After a year of researching Peru’s history, I had often imagined how this visit would feel, but I never expected to have such an intense emotional response. The weather was perfect that day – clear and warm – and the afternoon sky seemed to make the Inca stones glow as if with their own energy. Strolling around the interior courtyard, I felt the details from my research begin to play out as a drama behind my eyes. At every turn, I almost expected to happen upon the ghost of an Inca priest or Spanish conquistador.

The Coricancha: Part I

One of my favorite places to visit during my time in Cusco, Peru, was the ruins of the Coricancha. Five hundred years ago, this temple was the most important huaca – or sacred place – of the entire Inca empire. In this first of several blog posts and (embedded) video segments, we’ll take a look at the Coricancha’s distinctive exterior, including the exquisite masonry of the curved western-facing wall and the zig-zagging canals that it overlooks.  In following segments, I’ll lead you on a tour through the Coricancha’s courtyard, impressive halls, chambers, and trapezoidal doorways – pointing out the features I found most interesting or mysterious.

The Coricancha resides just a couple blocks south of Cusco’s Plaza de Armas and is an easy and charming walk from the main square. Most