In Peru, at altitude of just over 12,000 feet stands the Citadel of Saqsaywaman (also known as Sacsayhuamán. It overlooks the city of Cuzco below to the south. General consensus is that it was built in the 15th Century, although signs of habitation of the hill top date right back to around 900CE. It was the capital of the Inca Empire.
I arrived just as a school band struck up with “Peruvian type music” so I made a few exposures this one being my favourite of the bunch. The main attraction and the real marvel at the site are the stones (rather than the walls) and how they fit together. They are irregularly shaped, and yet fit together perfectly, and when I say perfectly, I mean perfectly. There is no mortar used but you would not be able to insert a sheet of card between the stones, there is no gap! One stone has 15 “dressed” edges, and like all the other stones, fit’s perfectly with it’s neighbours. The other amazing aspect is the scale. It’s estimated that some stones weigh between 128 and 200 tonnes! I remember my guide proudly telling me that there are only 5 cranes in the world today that could lift such stones (2005). All of that is not the subject of this image, just a tiny bit of it’s background and location!
Chatter: Canon 20D with 18-55mm “Kit Lens” – f9 at 160th 200 ISO.
S.H.O.U.T. 