(originally posted 20 July)
I have now completed the first rendering of Huayna Picchu, (the big peak that dominates the view), refurbished the distant peaks and skyline. Later on I intend to bring the weather in so that clouds pass in front of some of the scene. I have also started clarifying the walls, terraces and buildings. This is fun as I am using memory plus several photographs – the scene I wish to depict does not exist in a single photo.
Incidentally, the Inca were wonderful craftspeople with stone. Machu Picchu was not complete when it was abandoned and you can still see the stone quarry and incomplete buildings. Those buildings that have walls could easily have wooden roof put on and be habitable such is the quality of their work. The stones were worked so that they would fit together perfectly. A good example is shown below (this is part of a wall in Cusco). This marvel is a 14 sided stone which fits so tightly with its neighbours that you could not push a blade of grass into the cracks.
