The Mines of Maras

High up in Peru’s Sacred Valley are the magnificent salt ponds of Maras. The mines have been worked since pre-Inca times, always as a cooperative, and are based on a simple but ingenious system. A hot spring at the top gushes out hypersalinised water, which is directed into a series of shallow evaporation pools, each with a polygonal shape and entry and exit notches for the water to continue down. This photograph was taken in the January rains in 2017 and features the myriad ponds from upon high.