Photo Gallery

The imposing entrance to the Palace of Ollantaytambo.

Detail of the wall of the Palace of Ollantaytambo.

The famous Baño de la Ñusta, the bath of the princess - Ollantaytambo

Head of an indigenous community (Alcade) of Ollataytambo in the department of Cuzco. - 1969

Dressing up and wearing homemade woollen masks is always fun for the Indians. - Whitsun festival in Ollantaytambo, Cuzco department - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Chaque village de la Sierra, à l'exemple de la plus petite localité de la péninsule ibérique, a son patron ou sa patronne dont la fête est le prétexte de réjouissances qui durent plusieurs jours et auxquelles participent tous les membres de la communauté. - Procession de Pentecôte à Ollantaytambo, département de Cuzco. - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Des indigènes de la Sierra se rendent à cheval à rune des fêtes de leur communauté. - 1969

When the head of a community in Cuzco goes somewhere, he is accompanied by the ‘pututeros’, young people who are given the task of blowing into large sea shells. - 1969

Wearing a woollen chullo under his typical cuzqueño hat and dressed in a wonderful poncho, this young Indian from the sacred valley holds the vara de mando, a silver-plated staff as a sign of his official dignity. He is the alcalde of an ayllu, an agrarian community handed down from the Inca era, in which the Quechuas still live today as they did in times gone by.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
On ne peut qu'admirer, dans la Vallée sacrée, l'imposante entrée d'un palais d'0llantaytambo. Sans doute les tenons qui ressortent de cet incroyable «jeu de cubes» ont-ils servi à soulever et à mettre en place d'énormes monolithes aux angles parfaitement jointurés.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Unies à la verticale, ces six dalles plates et rectangulaires en porphyre rose, hautes d'environ 4 mètres, forment le monumental «Miroir du Soleil» d'0llantaytambo, au faîte du palais du Sinchi 0llanta, chef des Tampus de la Vallée sacrée qui osa s'opposer à Pachacutec par ses amours interdites avec Cusi Coylor, la princesse «Étoile Joyeuse».

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
0llantaytambo est l'un des rares et derniers bourgs authentiquement inca où les Quechuas vivent encore dans les palais ancestraux. Tel cet Indien qui coud sur le seuil d'une double portada en trapèze à l'inca.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Depuis trois mille ans ou davantage encore, 1'Indien de la Vallée sacrée des Incas et de toutes les Andes, pour appeler hommes et dieux, souffle dans le pututo, grosse conque marine du Pacifique, le Spondylus au son rauque.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Ollantaytambo: le fameux ‘Baño de la Ñusta’, le bain de la princesse ‘Etoile joyeuse’, qui venait ici pour recevoir l'eau purificatrice descendue des glaciers andins.

This wall of a palace in Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley is amazing. Undoubtedly, the spikes that emerge from this incredible “set of cubes” served to lift and place huge monoliths with perfectly joined angles. - 1969

Pentecost Festival in Ollantaytambo, Cuzco - Young Indian woman in typical costume. - 1969

The imposing entrance to this palace in Ollantaytambo is amazing. Undoubtedly, the stone cones on the incredible "dice game" of the Incas were used for this purpose. Lifting the gigantic monoliths into place and putting them together without gaps. - 1976

An lndia cuzqueña from the Ollantaytambo region in her typical dresses. - 1976

The procession in honour of the ‘Señor de Choquekillka’, the principal patron saint of the Inca city of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This major local event is celebrated every year around the Christian feast of Pentecost in May or June. It combines Catholic traditions with ancient Andean customs to form a significant cultural syncretism and has been declared part of Peru’s national cultural heritage. The villagers carry the cross, richly adorned with flowers and white robes, from the main church through the streets of the town. The relic being carried is an ornate cross which, according to local legend, was found in the nearby Vilcanota River at the beginning of the 20th century. – Peru – 1969

The clothing, the hats and the playing of the pututo conch shell are deeply rooted in the vibrant culture of the Cusco region and are still proudly displayed there today at festivals and receptions. The pututo is a traditional wind instrument made from a large sea snail, which has been used in the Andes since Inca times for ceremonies, rituals and long-distance communication. – This photograph dates from 1969 and was taken in Ollantaytambo. The person behind the player is an alcalde (mayor) with his staff, the varayoc, which translates as ‘the lord of the staff’. – Peru – 1969

During the Whitsun festival in Ollantaytambo, this mask is worn by the dancers of the Ukuku troupe. These mythological figures represent beings that are half-human and half-bear. They act as humorous yet disciplined intermediaries between humans and the mountain gods (Apus). During the colourful processions through the Inca streets of Ollantaytambo, they maintain order, joke with the spectators and accompany the holy cross. – Peru – 1969

Indigenous people in the small church at Ollantaytambo in the Urubamba Valley, above Machu Picchu, in the Department of Cuzco. Under the zealous Spanish missionaries, the indigenous people were very quickly converted to Catholicism; yet, on closer inspection, the old customs and deities can still be found beneath the European veneer in all the rites. For example, St James, the patron saint of the Spaniards, is celebrated with great fervour on 25 July, yet at the same time this day marks the festival of the mountain god Taita Wamani, and Pachamama, the Mother Earth from pre-Inca times, is today identified in many places with the Virgin Mary. - Book: Picture 108 - Peru - 1969