The beauty and fertility of Ollantaytambo have attracted people here for millennia. Ollantaytambo was built as an Inca retreat village and although other cultures inhabited the area before the Incas, all made the most of the valleys fertile ground. The Inca went as far as channeling the Vilcanota river, and managed to terrace almost every inch of the Urubamba valley, otherwise known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. During the great conquest, the Spaniards lost their only battle in Ollantaytambo but eventually managed to take hold of the valley and established the large hacienda holdings which have only recently passed to the hands of small farmers. Today Ollantaytambo is a living record of its past and the people are the heirs to the wealth of culture and tradition that has accumulated over time. Today travelers continue to visit, relax and learn in Ollantaytambo. The many and diverse things to do in and around the historic town are worthy of a vacation on their own. Just as the Inca did, all travelers will appreciate Ollantaytambo as the resting point before departure to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.