"Reflect on how long my grandparents and great grandparents and myself have looked after you, protected you, cared for you and governed...so do not forget us, not in your lifetimes, not in the time of your descendants.
Outwardly you can give the impression of of complying with their demands. Give them small tribute, whatever you can spare from your lands--for these people [Conquistadores] are so savage and so different from us that if you don't they will take it from you by force...I know that some day, by force or deceit, they will make you worship what they worship. When that time comes, when you can no longer resist, do it in front of them, but on the other hand do not forget our ceremonies."
--Manco Inca, the last Inca, before retreating from Cuzco further into the Urubamba Valley, to Tampu, or Ollantaytambo. It was considered one of the greatest fortresses in Peru.
Hernando Pizarro, with seventy of his men and a large force of Indian auxiliaries, suffered the first Spanish defeat after fighting his way to the foot of this fortress. Along with Spanish weaponry seized from captured and killed enemies, the Inca also diverted a stream with a dam and flooded out the town below.
In the valley below, a perfectly preserved Inca town with a local population still inhabits the homes laid out in the early 16th century in canchas, or blocks. Open channels of water flow along the edges of the roads and walkways as they have for hundreds of years, serving as a rudimentary plumbing system and water supply.
This is the last stop before the train ride through the valley to the mountaintop site of Machu Picchu. Locals crowd the cars specifically set aside for them to return to their homes in the mountains after a day of school or working in the farms and small businesses below.
For tourists, a much more expensive ticket is available.
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