Global Education

Ollantaytambo Ruins, Pottery Class, and the GEO Project

6/14/2019

On Thursday we visited the Incan ruins of Ollantaytambo. The ruins were originally a temple for worshiping the sun, and there are many stones that align perfectly with the solstices and equinoxes. From the top of the ruins, we could see the whole town of Ollantaytambo as well as some smoke from a nearby forest fire. To get to the top, we had to stop three times as the climb was very steep and tiring. We were then told about a festival that is held in Ollantaytambo where many people run up and down the steps of the temple many times. We also climbed to the house of a priest which was located along a path with a cliff on one side. After our climb, we all went home and had lunch with our families. A common lunch with our families consists of rice and chicken, or arroz con pollo.

After lunch, we went to a ceramics workshop and watched Eduardo make a small pot. We all tried to make a simple pot before attempting to make a more interesting pot. When we then tried to make one ourselves, most of us ended up with decent pots, and some of us ended up with melted pots. Next, we took a bus and visited a greenhouse that we donated at the request of a local middle school. It’s nice to see Groton School helping others when asked, and not just telling them what they need. We all went home to eat dinner and a few of us made plans to hang out in the plaza.

-Luke & Angelica

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