a laughing baby

a laughing baby

playfully held high above

mama's beaming face

Peru is a place of the heart, the heart of Pachamama, Earth Mother, and this quality of motherly love is very evident in this scene. A young mother, sitting in front of a shop in Aguas Calientes, is enjoying playing with her baby, smiling up at him as she holds him above her head. And each time she lifts him up, the baby lets out a delighted laugh.

between the train tracks

between the train tracks

and hot springs a young mother

nurses her baby

Beyond bearing a baby, the most intimate act of motherhood is nursing. This young mother is sitting outside her little shop on the steep street that leads from the train tracks to the hot springs in Aguas Calientes, quietly feeding her infant, completely at ease while all sorts of people pass by.

mama with bebe

mama with bebe

wrapped in a red k'eperina

snug against her heart

This mother and baby are standing in the pedestrian street outside the school with its colorful murals. She is carrying her baby in a k'eperina, Quechua for a handwoven rectangular cloth used for carrying children and other goods. Often red, with intricate striped designs, it is used by both men and women, even by those who wear modern dress, like this young mother in jeans and a sweater. The baby wears a hand knit chullo on his head. This first cap is traditionally knit by his father and the color white indicates that the baby is a boy.

a man in a green

a man in a green

poncho pushes a wheelbarrow

past the blue school gate

On the steep streets of Aguas Calientes beyond the train tracks, there are no cars, no trucks, no mototaxis, not even triciclos, the three-wheel bike taxis. Wheelbarrows are the main mode for transporting goods. Everything about this tiny town is colorful: the school's bright blue gate and yellow walls painted with murals, the man's grass-green rain poncho, even the plastic bags bulging with potatoes.

two girls with backpacks

two girls with backpacks

under a red umbrella

entering Machu Picchu

These two girls in blue uniforms with red and white stripes, walking in step arm-in-arm under a red umbrella with ears, seem to be entering a magic gateway into Machu Picchu. Their hometown, Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo, is the junction point for travelers going to and from the ruins. A tiny town, it sits between two rushing rivers in a deep gorge below the ancient site. Trains run through the town, but no cars are allowed. If you walk to the top of this steep street, past shops and street vendors, you will find the hot springs for which the town is named.

afternoon rain shower

afternoon rain shower –

waiting under umbrellas

for school gate to open

Sitting at a table outside a restaurant in Aguas Calientes, across from a school, we watch as a sudden rain shower sends everyone on the street scurrying for cover. One little boy runs up to the blue school gate, hunched up, hugging the wall. He is soon joined by a group of boys and then a woman who seems to be a teacher. None of them have umbrellas. After awhile, the gate opens and lets them in. Then parents begin arriving, carrying umbrellas and holding the hands of young children. They wait a long time. Finally, the gate opens and the crowd disperses.