Geography and environment

The Pikillaqta site is located in low ridges in the eastern Valley of Cuzco. The area has a lot of mountains, but no rivers only small lakes close to the city.  The landscape in the  area is grassy and  rocky, and sandy at places, where houses where built. Pikillaqta is 3,250 meters above sea level and in the Lucre Basin. The climate in the area of Pikillaqta is cold and dry. From mid April till October it is dry season. In November the rain season starts and the clime gets milder. The average temperature high is in the 60’s and the average temperature low is in the 30’s and 40’s year round in the Valley of Cusco.

Agriculture and canal systems

Corn was an important crop and served as a major food source for the citizens of Pikillaqta. Corn was very special to the Wari, it was painted on pottery along with gods. Pikillaqta  controlled the area through agriculture with canals, reservoirs, aqueducts, terraces and cultivated fields. With the water, which was mainly brought through the rain the Wari people were able to build and maintain a hydraulic network. From August to December there was barely any rain, because it was the dry season, during this time they used an artificial irrigation system. Harvest season is from May to June, during that time they use the artificial irrigation system if needed. The canals they built were connected to the Lucre River and the Chelke stream. In total the canals system is about 48 thousand meters.

In Pikillaqta around 50,00 bones were found, most of them were from camels and guinea pigs. So this were probably the animals that have been eaten by the citizen of Pikillaqta.To kill the animals they probably used  projectile points, since those were also found there.

Functions of site

Scientists assume that Pikillaqta may have served as a large  ceremonial and feasting site. In the middle of the site, there was a large patio, which probably served as the center of administrative rituals and activities the Wari people did. The Wari people drank a lot of chicha, which was their native beer. Corn and chicha were very sacred to the Wari, and played a big role during ceremonies.

The halls of the Wari were robbed, but they held probably sacred and objects and offerings back then. In Wari art, ceremonies were depicted with a ceremonial pole coming out of the center of niched halls along with offerings, plants, and felines shown in a sacred context. The functions of the niched halls then were probably ceremonially and ritually used, because the halls match up with other Wari sites and art.

A small number of people could gather in one of the 501 structures of those buildings, for ceremonial practices on a more private scale. Sector four of the small conjoint buildings could have been a place where mummies were held and visited. Small fire pits were found in them, this could be a sign that there were offerings to the deceased done. For the Wari it was an important act to visit the mummies, since they believed that they watch over the living.

Trades

The Wari used their pottery and stones such as gemstones and minerals for trades. Okros and Wamanga style pottery were two of the main styles, which were made around the area. Pikillaqta was one of the biggest Wari sites so other goods were probably traded in and out of the area and housed in the many buildings at Pikillaqta. Many people came around for the ceremonies so a lot of items were probably traded or brought in with them.

Abandonment

There were two stages in the abandonment: the part where the Wari left and then a giant fire after that. After the fire, thiefs  came through the site and stole the valueables that survived the fire. Those are the only known people to be active on the site before archaeologists investigated.

Pikillaqta is open for visitors and tourists to view the ruins of the once large city. Pikillaqta was occupied from about 550 to 1100 AD and around 1100 AD is when it was ultimately abandoned. The reason for this is unclear, scientists assume that there was a crisis in the empire of the Wari and they were trying to expand their empire somewhere else and planned on coming back later. Pikillaqta was abandonded before much of the architecture was complete. The sealing of a number of key doorways occurred so unwanted visitors would have trouble entering some structures.

The rebellious Manco Inca had retreated to this fortress after his defeat at Sacsaywamán. 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, fought with arrows, spears and boulders from atop of the steep terracing, so the Spanish were unable to climb the fortress. In a brilliant move, Manco Inca flooded the area below the fortress with the help of 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 Vilcabamba.

Ollantaytambo was a highly effective fortress, it also served as a temple. A finely worked ceremonial center is at the top of the terracing. Some extremely well-built walls were under construction at the time of the conquest and have never been completed. The stone was quarried from the mountainside 6km away, high above the opposite bank of the Río Urubamba. Transporting the huge stone blocks to the site was a stupendous feat. The Incas’ crafty technique to move massive blocks across the river meant carting the blocks to the riverside then diverting the entire river channel around them.

The 6km hike to the Inca quarry on the opposite side of the river is a good walk from Ollantaytambo. The trail starts from the Inca bridge by the entrance to the village. It takes a few hours to reach the site, passing several abandoned blocks known as piedras cansadas – tired stones. Looking back towards Ollantaytambo, you can see the enigmatic optical illusion of a pyramid in the fields and walls in front of the fortress. A few scholars believe this marks the legendary place where the original Incas first emerged from the earth.

If you are interested in the Inca culture and history Ollantaytambo is definitely a place you should visit during your stay in Peru. This place holds a lot of history and stories about the Inca times. The climb up is demanding but do able for all ages, just take it one step at a time and include little breaks on the terraces and you will be fine.