The arch Taq-i Kisra at Ctesiphon, Iraq. Photo taken in April 2011.

Short Takes

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  Pictures of the Week- Ollantaytambo, Peru

  Friday, April 8, 2016 | Mark English, AIA

  Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some 60 kilometers northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 meters (9,160 feet) above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. […]

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  Pictures of the Week- Pisac, Sacred Valley, Peru

  Monday, March 28, 2016 | Mark English, AIA

  Emperor Pachacuti erected a number of royal estates to memorialize victories over other ethnic groups. Among these royal estates are Písac (victory over the Cuyos), Ollantaytambo (victory over the Tambos), and Machu Picchu (conquest of the Vilcabamba Valley).

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  Pictures of the Week- Walking in Cuzco.

  Tuesday, March 22, 2016 | Mark English, AIA

  Cuzco is a comfortable mashup of old and new.

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  Pictures of the Week- Santa Catalina Convent, Arequipa, Peru

  Monday, March 21, 2016 | Mark English, AIA

  The Monastery of Saint Catherine is a monastery of nuns of the Dominican Second Order, located in Arequipa, Peru. It was built in 1579 and was enlarged in the 17th century. The over 20,000-square-meter monastery was built predominantly in the Mudéjar style, and is characterized by its vividly painted walls. There are approximately 20 nuns currently living in the northern corner of the complex; the rest of the monastery […]

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  Pictures of the Week- Inca stone walls of Cuzco, Peru

  Monday, March 21, 2016 | Mark English, AIA

  The hand-hewn andesite and granite stonework of the Inca artisan has to be seen to believed. These photos are from last summers visit to Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire in Peru.  

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