Ralph Rapson at Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, in Peru, through 1500.

Color sketch by Ralph Rapson, from Ralph Rapson Sketches and Drawings from Around the World, courtesy of the Afton Press.]

"Few memories can compare with my recollections of Machu Picchu. Stopping in Peru on our way to Ecuador and Chile, Mary and I boarded a small train from Cuzco with just two passenger cars headed to the ancient mountain city. Few of the passengers were tourists. 

"We followed a stream up into the mountains, took a bus up a zigzagging road, and eventually arrived at a small rundown hotel, where we checked in. Only a handful of people remained as the afternoon wore on and the sun began to set, and we not only wandered among the Inca ruins by moonlight, but also rose early the next morning to watch the sun burn the cloud cover off this ancient aerie." – Ralph Rapson

View of towers and stairs at Machu Picchu. Image: Ralph Rapson