site with Machu Picchu to the west and Pisaq to the east. During the Spanish conquest of Peru, emperor Manco Inca fortified the eastern approaches to fend off Spanish attacks from Cusco during the Battle of Ollantaytambo. The first line of defense was a steep bank of terraces at Pachar, near the confluence of the Anta and Urubamba Rivers. Behind it, the Incas channeled the Urubamba to make it cross the valley from right to left and back, thus forming two more lines, which were backed by the fortifications of Choqana on the left bank and 'Inkapintay on the right bank. Past them, at the plain of Mascabamba, 11 high terraces closed the valley between the mountains and a deep canyon formed by the Urubamba. The only way to continue was through the gate of T'iyupunku, a thick defensive wall with two narrow doorways. To the west of Ollantaytambo, the small fort of Choquequillca defended the road to Machu Picchu. In the event of these fortifications being overrun, the Temple Hill itself with its high terraces provided a last line of defense against invaders. See also Awamaki List of archaeological sites in Peru List of megalithic sites Sacred Valley Tourism in Peru Gallery References Further reading Bengtsson, Lisbet. Prehistoric stonework in the Peruvian Andes : a case study at Ollantaytambo. Göteborg : Etnografiska Museet, 1998. Gasparini, Graziano and Luize Margolies. Inca architecture. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980. Glave, Luis Miguel and María Isabel Remy. Estructura agraria y vida rural en una región andina: Ollantaytambo entre los siglos XVI y XIX. Cusco: Centro de Estudios Rurales Andinos "Bartolomé de las Casas", 1983. Hemming, John. The conquest of the Incas. London: Macmillan, 1993. Hyslop, John. Inka settlement planning. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990. Kubler, George. The art and architecture of ancient America: the Mexican, Maya and Andean peoples. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1990. Protzen, Jean-Pierre. Inca architecture and construction at Ollantaytambo. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. http://www.congreso.gob.pe/ntley/Imagenes/Leyes/27265.pdf External links CATCCO, local museum Lost ancient cities and towns Ruins in Peru Populated places in the Cusco Region Inca Archaeological sites in Cusco Region Archaeological sites in Peru