Temple of the Winds, Ollantaytambo
2012-07-09
Today we visit the Temple of the Winds. There is a market below the Temple, and here we see a car that is beautifully decorated after having been blessed in ceremony. Passing through the big doors we enter the complex.
Part of the Temple/Fortress rises high above Ollantaytambo, while agricultural terraces cascade down the mountain side. At the bottom is a Pachamama stone, reminiscent of the one at Machu Picchu. It certainly vibrates and pulls you into the earth. Again, more of the wonderful water features, and channels carved and smoothed into the rocks. What is wonderful is how a few niches or blocks of stone can be incorporated into the natural rock faces, the natural and the decorated intertwined.
Climbing to the top of the Temple of the Winds, later in the day, it's, well, windy. Hang onto your hat! Again we see the doorways and niches that are wider at the bottom than the top. They are designed to resist earthquakes, and indeed they have done so. Also, there is the chakana again, this time a faint outline on a temple wall. Marvel at the knowledge that these stones were quarried 6 km away and moved across the river to be placed here.
