Lima Peru.
Set into the original foundations of Inca buildings in the old centre of Cusco, Peru.
What’s behind them is unknown to me.
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Sturdy houses and larger buildings are built using blocks which are made with clay soil which is readily available and cheap. A simple wood form is filled with mud mixed with straw. The block is left to dry in the sun until it is hard enough to be used for building.
It doesn’t snow here (even though the altitude is above 12000 ft) so snow loads are not a factor in roof construction. Houses are finished in stages as money for things like doors and glass for windows becomes available. Initially the roof is thatch but the sign of prosperity is a house with a tile roof. The brown of the mud is the standard colour and during an election campaign, Political Parties will paint the outside of your house for free to advertise their candidate. Less drab that way.
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Uncertainty reigns on the faces of the Welcoming Committee at Tauca.
A very short time later, smiles were the order of the day.
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We visited Tauca (see if you can find it, it’s near Chinchero) and the people there made us welcome.
This young lady rode on her mother’s shoulders much of the time we were there.
She will break a few suitor’s hearts someday.
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The studio of Pablo Seminario is in Urubamba, a town of about 8000 people in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We were privileged to visit with the artist at his home, shop and studio where he took the time to meet us and describe his approach to the art that he produces.
Ceramic items produced in his studio/workshop by staff are also on sale in his small store on the site.
These days, I am drinking my morning coffee from one of his uniquely decorated mugs.
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Fabrics were made by the Incas on rudimentary looms. The process is quite slow and deliberate.
The patience required is admirable.
Back then, time was in abundance.
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This Alpaca is taking a very dim view of having its portrait made.
Or is it a Llama? A Guanaco? I don’t think it’s a Vicuna.
This guy lives at Awana Kancha near Pisac in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
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Getting from room to room inside one of the structures in Machu Picchu.
Each individual block is shaped to fit precisely. There is no mortar holding them in place.
Quite remarkable as the Incas used no draft animals, iron tools, or wheels.
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On the tip of the rock are terraces and buildings for storing grain.
One can sign up to take the trail to the top. A limited number of people per day get to do this. (Although too small to see in this small format, there are people up there.) There is no chairlift.
We took a pass.
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