We booked a guided tour for two that included a buffet lunch and entrance to all but one of the historic sites. The total cost was 300 soles or around $90 for two people.
The first stop on our tour was in the town of Chinchero. It was an agricultural center located in the Urabamba Valley with some of the most fertile soil found in the country of Peru. The Spanish, after conquering the area, built a church made of adobe on top of the Inca ruins they destroyed in 1607.
Ollanataytambo was the royal estate for one of the Inca emperors around the mid 1500s. The temple hill is terraced and most of the construction was not completed due to the Spanish conquests in the area. There are many storehouses located in the mountains and the entire area was used as a fortress.
The huge terraces supported agriculture for the region. It was also an important astrological site for studying the change of seasons.
The entire town was destroyed by the Spanish in the 1530s.
Be sure to look at our 2017 travel section of our blog for more pictures from Peru.