Macchu Picchu. The oratory and the climb to the Intihuatana. Cuzco, Perú. Circa 1928.

Gelatin silver print -measures: 23.2 x 17.8 cm / 9.13 x 7 in-, with white margins and at the bottom of the same, dry stamp of authorship: MARTÍN CHAMBI / CUZCO. Behind, its title handwritten in graphite pencil "The oratory and the climb to the Intihuatana // The open Temple and ascent to the Intihuatana".

The set includes two long access stairs, to the north and to the south, the latter being remarkable for being in a long stretch carved out of a single rock. At the top of the great pyramid with a polygonal base is the Intihuatana, a Quechua voice that indicates "where the sun (inti) is tied", a monolithic construction with religious and astronomical connotations from the Inca empire. Its upper part, with four sides, indicates the four cardinal points, and depending on the projection of the shadow on its basement, the Incas identified the time in the year.

Standing in front of one of these open enclosures and with his camera focused upward, he recorded this wonderful ensemble. We observe in the foreground the “oratory”, in its state prior to the restoration that was carried out some time later. Two are the most important Intihuatana preserved from the Inca culture, the present one from Machu Picchu, and the one from Pisac, photographed by Max. T. Vargas (see item 20).

The American explorer Hiram Bingham discovered these ruins in 1911. A little later, the Chambi camera, whose roots go back to pre-Columbian history, obtained the most wonderful photographic records.

Martín Chambi (1891 - 1973) is considered today the most important photographer in Peru and one of the most prominent in our continent. In 1979 the MoMA -Museum of Modern Art in New York- held an anthological exhibition of his work, with resounding and definitive success. Since then, the best public and private photographic collections in the world have been searching for his vintage works with great interest.

GLMM