Ollantaytambo Archeology Site
The Oilantaytambo archeological site was started as one of the administrative & religious centers for the Inca. The terraces on site are in good condition, but the temples on top were never finished due to a rebellion in the area. According to legend, one of the king’s generals was in love with one of the kings daughters. The king (Pachacutec) would not sanction the wedding, so the general lead a rebellion that lasted several years. Finally the king got the upper hand and captured and killed the general. Then to make a point at the price of rebellion rounded up everyone in the area, warriors and civilians (woman, men, children) and killed them. Then ordered that their bodies were displayed throughout the empire.
One interesting thing about this site is the use of concrete on some of the buildings. They used cactus as a base for their concrete, so after 500 years it looks almost new. The site also has a astronomical observatory, a temple to the condor, and a temple to the water god.
Inca “places of power” combined religion, politic, and administration together in one location. This meant that the king was a direct conduit to god and his proclamations had the weight of god's word. This is similar to the European feudal system where the kings were thought of as divinely appointed (at least in their own minds), although in Europe they treated their serfs worse than cattle, the Inca's treated their subjects well and the only taxation was through labor, which was applied equally. The Inca empire made sure that their people were fed, had places to stay, and work appropriate to peoples skills. Experts believe the population of the Inca empire was around 18 million people. The terrace system allowed the Inca to have 2 crops a year using bird guano as fertilizer. The food distribution was that ⅓ went to the gods, ⅓ went to the king, ⅓ went to the people. Every 5 years or so they would either have a drought or flood (due to el Niño), and when food started to get scarce the King would say he had a vision from god and there was no more food problem. He would open the “gods” storehouses and feed the people from what had been stored in the previous years, so no one ever wanted.
Read MoreOne interesting thing about this site is the use of concrete on some of the buildings. They used cactus as a base for their concrete, so after 500 years it looks almost new. The site also has a astronomical observatory, a temple to the condor, and a temple to the water god.
Inca “places of power” combined religion, politic, and administration together in one location. This meant that the king was a direct conduit to god and his proclamations had the weight of god's word. This is similar to the European feudal system where the kings were thought of as divinely appointed (at least in their own minds), although in Europe they treated their serfs worse than cattle, the Inca's treated their subjects well and the only taxation was through labor, which was applied equally. The Inca empire made sure that their people were fed, had places to stay, and work appropriate to peoples skills. Experts believe the population of the Inca empire was around 18 million people. The terrace system allowed the Inca to have 2 crops a year using bird guano as fertilizer. The food distribution was that ⅓ went to the gods, ⅓ went to the king, ⅓ went to the people. Every 5 years or so they would either have a drought or flood (due to el Niño), and when food started to get scarce the King would say he had a vision from god and there was no more food problem. He would open the “gods” storehouses and feed the people from what had been stored in the previous years, so no one ever wanted.
Ollantaytambo Archeology Site - Astronomical Observatory
