In Quechua it is known as Vilcamayo, and in Spanish El Valle Sagrado de los Incas. This fertile valley, irrigated by the Urubamba River that stretches from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, has a settlement history going at least as far back as 800 B.C. to the Chanapata civilization. The valley provided some of the best agrarian opportunities in the region, and as the early tribes of Peru shifted from nomadic hunters to a settled society of farmers it became a popular place to live. The Sacred Valley was central to pre-Columbian Peru’s development.Other pre-Incan civilizations that lived in the valley included the Qotacalla, who were there lived from 500 to 900 A.D., and the Killke, who continued to reside in the valley until Incan domination of the region in 1420. The Incas, regarded in turn lasted until the arrival of the Spaniards one hundred years later. The valley itself was regarded as sacred by the Incas as the territorial correlation to the Milky Way. Their mythology had the founding fathers of the region, the Ayar Brothers, emerging from the Ollantaytambo pyramid.

Ollantaytambo also served as the battleground for one of the last successful defeats of the Spanish army, when the Manco Inca withdrew from Cusco and his forces redirected the Río Patacancha to keep Pizarro’s soldiers at bay, while at the same time enlisting the support of jungle tribes. Pizarro retreated, but eventually returned with reinforcements. Ironically, despite the subsequent attempt to remake the region and its people under Spain, much of the culture has remained unchanged throughout the centuries. People still speak Quechua, and farming methods are still very basic.