The Water Temple (also called the Ceremonial Fountain or Baño de la Ñusta) is a carved stone fountain complex at the base of the Ollantaytambo terraces, within the main site. A single carved stone channel delivers water through the complex — when the water table is high enough, water still flows through it, which is one of those details that makes Inca engineering feel genuinely alive. The fountain is thought to have had religious significance, possibly connected to water worship that was central to Inca cosmology.
The stonework here is among the finest at the site: precisely cut and fitted blocks with carved niches and channels. It sits at a juncture in the fortress where the working space of the agricultural terraces meets the more ceremonial upper section, which may reflect its role as a transitional space — a place for ritual purification before entering the temples above.