Catcco Museum of Ollantaytambo
The town of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, offers the visitor a series of tourist attractions and services such as: Inca archaeological sites, hotels, restaurants and museums. Of the latter, the Catcco museum stands out, which seeks to revalue the history and culture of this town, one of the oldest in Cusco. Although it is a small and simple place, its visit is a good option for those looking to stay in the town before their visit to Machu Picchu.
All about the Catcco Museum
Description
The Catcco Museum (Andean Center for Technology and Culture of the Communities of Ollantaytambo) is a small cultural center that exhibits different utensils, models, paintings, panels and artifacts that seek to explain the history and culture of the Inca people of Ollantaytambo, one of the oldest in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The museum is located on some Inca ruins. It has five rooms. It also offers tourist information to the visitor, as well as walks to different Inca routes and towns such as Cachicata, Páchar, Huilloc, Pincuylluna, Yanacocha and Pumamarca.
Location
The Catcco museum is located on Calle Patacalle s / n (Qosqo Ayllu sector), in the town of Ollantaytambo, the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
How to get?
To get to the Catcco museum, you must travel from the city of Cusco (there is the airport and most hotels in the region) to the town of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. For that, you must take public transport from ‘Pavitos’ street in the historic center of the city. The trip has a cost of 10 Peruvian soles (3 US dollars, approximately) and lasts 1 hour 45 minutes on average.
In addition to the Inca archaeological site and the Catcco museum, the town of Ollantaytambo is famous for being a mandatory part of the route to Machu Picchu. It is there where the train station with the most daily departures to the Inca wonder is located. After a train trip of almost 2 hours, you arrive at the town of Aguas Calientes from where you take a bus that takes tourists to the door of the archaeological site of Machupicchu in 30 minutes.
Map to get to the Catcco Museum
The museum
The museum is small and simple. It was founded in 1997, as a way to make the history and customs of the town of Ollantaytambo known to the world. It has 5 rooms where panels, models, paintings and infographics on the history, architecture, archeology, crafts and beliefs of the local people are exposed.
The museum is located on the second floor of a large house built on the remains of an Inca building. Its collection of handicrafts such as ceramics, textiles, carvings and other objects that are made by the inhabitants themselves stands out. It is also worth mentioning an information panel that explains in detail the origins and development of the town of Ollantaytambo.
Visiting the Catcco museum is an excellent option to complement the visit to the Ollantaytambo archaeological site. In addition, its rooms allow to host conferences of cultural events that take place in the town. It offers tourist information to visitors. Finally, they organize short hiking routes to neighboring towns such as: Cachicata, Páchar, Huilloc, Pincuylluna, Yanacocha and Pumamarca.
Other museums and tourist attractions of Ollantaytambo
Choco museum – Cusco is one of the best cocoa producers in Peru and the world. To revalue this product, the choco museum holds educational exhibitions on the process of planting, harvesting, processing and producing chocolate. Visitors can also taste the delicious Cusco chocolate.
Pinkuylluna – From any location in the town of Ollantaytambo it is possible to see on the slopes of a mountain, the immense stone warehouses of the archaeological site of Pinkuylluna. The Incas built this set of ‘colcas’ to store their food such as potatoes, corn, coca leaves, etc. The Catcco museum organizes walks there.
Perolniyoc Falls – From Ollantaytambo, through a hiking route of almost 4 hours (40 minutes by car) you will reach the Perolniyoc waterfalls, a waterfall of up to 100 meters. This route is not well known by tourists but it is known by local people. The entrance to this place is free. The walk should only be organized with a tourism agency or with a tourist guide from the town.
How much does it cost to visit the Catcco museum?
The visit to the museum has a cost of 5 Peruvian soles (approximately 2 US dollars).
What are the visiting hours?
Visiting hours to the museum are from Monday to Sunday from 9 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon.
Image gallery
More information
Ollantaytambo was made up of several human groups that were conquered by the Incas in the 15th century. It was then that Emperor Pachacutec ordered the construction of the Inca town and temple. Currently, this town is the only one in Peru that preserves its Inca urban organization.
Ollantaytambo is one of the most visited towns in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which is made up of several towns and Inca archaeological sites such as: Pisas, Chinchero, Maras, Moray, etc.
Some advices
The town of Ollantaytambo has a wide range of tourist services such as restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc. A good option to enjoy the history of this town is to first visit the Inca archaeological site and then the Catcco museum.
Every June 23 in Ollantaytambo the famous ‘Ollantay Raymi’ is performed, a staging of dozens of actors who represent the Quechua drama of ‘Ollantay’ in the middle of the Inca archaeological site. This Inca drama recreates the love story of Cusi Coyllur (Pachacutec’s daughter) and the Inca general Ollantay.