red k'eperina

red k'eperina

on blue clothesline with brown hen

and blue triciclo

A typical adobe house along the road between Urubamba and Ollantaytambo in the Cusco region. The colorful striped k'eperina is worn around the shoulders and used for carrying all kinds of goods. The triciclo, with its little flatbed over the rear wheels, is also used for carrying all kinds of goods, like this blue bucket. The little brown hen, resting in the shade, is used for laying eggs. I like the way the door with its faded blue and red paint picks up the color theme, and even the clothesline matches the blue of the triciclo and bucket.

girl with red balloon

girl with red balloon

in her mouth peeking between

double wooden doors

There is magic in sudden seeing. A moment before, only worn wooden doors set in an unadorned adobe wall. The next moment, one of the doors opens a crack and a little girl, dwarfed by the tall doors, peeks out, holding a red balloon in her mouth. It's like opening an old wooden chest and discovering hidden treasure, a star ruby set in a bracelet of sapphires.

retrofit wiring

retrofit wiring

hangs from thick adobe on

a remote island

Isla Amantani in Titicaca Cocha is a four-hour boat ride from Puno. The islanders have recently installed solar panels that are able to generate a limited amount of electricity. At the hospedaje where we are staying, we have one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, but the wall socket is dead and the two toilets in the courtyard are lit at night by a single candle placed on the dividing wall. The wiring running along an adobe wall and hanging down from a nail may or may not be functional. It would certainly cause an electrician back home to shudder. Yet the sinuous black lines contrasting with the white box and the rough brown adobe with the smooth white plaster work well as modern art.

high on a white wall

high on a white wall

a small window filled with bundles

blocking the view

Windows are usually designed to let light in and allow those inside to see out, though not always those outside to see in. This small window placed high on a white adobe wall seems designed to allow a view of the main street of the pueblo, while disallowing a view inside. However, the pile of bundles would make it difficult for anyone to see out. The entire place feels unusually empty and quiet for an Andean pueblo: no mototaxis, no triciclos, no people, no dogs, not even chickens roaming the street. Perhaps everyone is taking a siesta, or out working in the fields and pastures. Later, we do see two women and then a group of children coming home from school. But even then, silence prevails. Perhaps it is the influence of the temple of the moon on the mountain above the pueblo, a place of deep solitude and silence.

a weathered blue wall

a weathered blue wall

on an adobe house

is more than a wall

I am soaking wet from head to toe, my Goretex hiking boots squishing with water from my fully-clothed immersion in the waterfall at the temple of the moon, and muddy from our hike down the mountain to wait for a bus. Now it's raining and we're plastered against a wall under a narrow overhang, sitting on sacks of quinoa. Antwan produces an incredibly ripe mango and I use Amaru's knife to slice it up to share with everyone, including a couple of chickens who snatch up the fallen bits. Now my hands are sticky with orange pulp and I am as a happy as a child making mud pies. Across the street there is an adobe house painted the color of the Andean sky when it's not raining. As I gaze at the wall, I see snow falling on snow-covered peaks, and then, floating in the azure sky, the letter "P," and further to the right, "L," and below and between, "S." It is like a pentimento, where the artist has painted over the original painting and later the previous version begins to bleed through. In the same way, memories and fantasies seep through surface thoughts, coloring them with a unique and mysterious melange.

moon temple pueblo

moon temple pueblo –

white crescents cascading down

adobe brick wall

The temple of the moon, on a hill beneath a mountain, is a magical place, and even the little pueblo at the foot of the hill is full of mystery, like this adobe wall beneath a tile roof. Someone has painted some words on the brick wall and over the words, a series of overlapping white crescents, the paint dripping down and nearly obscuring the letters. I can make out "Altalde" below the crescents, but not the letters above. Is this a political slogan? The presidential election is about to take place and the names of candidates and parties are painted on walls everywhere. But if this is a name, did someone purposefully cover it up? The white paint looks like crescent moons, and the temple of the moon on the hillside above is dedicated to the mysterious, changeable feminine aspect. The roof tiles repeat the feminine curves of the crescents. The entire wall looks like an abstract painting, an act of creativity, intensely feminine.

blue door, yellow wall

blue door, yellow wall –

reflections of sky and sun 

transform wood and clay

We are on the bus, leaving Cusco for our destination in the Sacred Valley. Fascinated by the colors and textures of the buildings, I keep up a steady barrage of snapshots, hoping to capture a small fragment of the passing scenery. I am always amazed by a lucky catch like this one. The bright blue paint on the worn wooden door and the ocher plaster on the adobe wall bring the essence of the Andean sky and sun down to earth. So it is with earth-bound humans, always reaching for what lies beyond.