Ann Turley – Country – Landscape
Maras Salt Ponds
I have chosen to depict the Maras Salt Ponds as my landscape study. These salt ponds are located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas and were constructed from AD 200 – AD 900. The ponds, about 5,000 of them, are located at 3,00 meters above sea level and are about 64 kilometers from Cusco and 4 kilometers from Mara. Most salt ponds are near the ocean, but this is located in a valley, high in the Andes. A small, ancient spring feeds the ponds, each owned by individual families. When the owners want to fill their pond, they open a notch to let the water flow in. When the pond is full, the water is allowed to evaporate and a crust of pink salt remains. It is scraped up, cleaned and bagged. I have used commercial batiks and cottons, novelty yarns and a loosely woven string in the construction of my quilt.
Detail view:
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
Beautiful! Love the colours and the story behind!
Love the story behind this. Great texture and colour.
Beautiful designs, love the colours.
Great choice of fabrics for your landscape ! I love the perspective given by the different layers of fabrics. Well done !
The texture is great, I love it and love the colours you used.
Interesting story very well depicted in your quilt. Love the layers of batiks and the texture.
I remember this beautiful place near Chincheros. Love your interpretation.
Beautiful colours and texture. So nice to read your story and learn more about Peru.
Wish I had known about these ponds when I visited. So nice to read your story and from your quilt I can see the ponds sitting in between the mountains. Must be spectacular. Great textures, lovely colours.
How interesting to hear about these ponds, and what a lovely representation of the mountainous countryside. I like the textures you have used and the layers and colours are beautiful
great to learn new things and these salt ponds sound fascinating. You have illustrated them in beautiful fabrics with lovely detailed accents.
Great choices of fabric, color and yarns. A wonderful depiction of the Peruvian cascading hills filled with a patchwork of shallow salt ponds that have been harvested since the Incan empire. Well done!
It’s nice to learn about the salt ponds. Nico how you used different materials to create your piece.