Weekend Write-In Story Collection

Inca Astronomy

In 500 words, tell a story where a photographer discovers a disturbing development. Written for the Weekend Write-In prompt themed "Photographer". 11 - 13 September 2015

David tries to get his message out in spite of the typical shallow and scatterbrained TV morning show host.

Sight Lines

"The sight lines carved in the stones on the summit of Huayna Picchu," David replied to the host on the TV morning show, "that's what first inspired my study of Inca astronomy."

"And where is that, Whine-a-pee-chew?"

"Can we have the first photo? It shows it clearly — There, the tall peak in the centre, that's Huayna Picchu."

"That's Machu Picchu, isn't it?"

"No, the photo is taken from Machu Picchu, those are its ruins in the foreground. The summit of the peak was a sacred place for the high priests. It overlooks Machu Picchu. They carved lines in the rock up there to predict celestial happenings."

"Machu Picchu was discovered by an American, Hiram Bingham. I did interviews a couple of years ago on the centenary of his discovery."

"No, Bingham did not discover it; that's another USAian myth. Probably among the earlier modern plunderers of the site was the German, Augusto Berns in 1867, he seems the first recorded. Europeans were regular visitors to it in the nineteenth century. Machu Picchu was on a Swiss map as early as 1874. Bingham's 1911 visit got promoted by National Geographic, that is all. But back to the Inca sight lines..."

"But why does everyone say Bingham discovered Machu Picchu?"

"Everybody doesn't. Many unquestioning people in the United States do, but much of the rest of the world... Can we get back to the Inca sight lines?"

"Yes, of course — You were saying before you took us off track..."

"I've taken thousands of photographs up there, from every possible place and at every angle. Back in Vancouver, I've spent hundreds of hours analysing them, cross referencing them to celestial charts, to the Nautical Almanac..."

"Oh yes, my notes say you were an officer in the USN..."

"Then your notes are wrong, I was an officer in the RCN. That's the Royal Canadian Navy. There are other navies on the planet... But can we get back to the reason I was invited this morning?"

"Yes, certainly, you keep veering off track..."

"The peak to the left of Huayna Picchu," David said, "can we have the picture again... Good. The shorter peak at the edge of Machu Picchu's ruins is called Huchuy Picchu. Both it and Huayna Picchu line-up on the Intihhuatana in the centre of Machu Picchu, along with lines to the solstices, to the..."

"What's the Intie-watana? Why don't they use American words?"

"It is American, South American. Intihhuatana is the Inca word for Hitching Post of the Sun. It's the central set of sight lines in the complex of ruins. It ties all the sites together and anchors them to the sun, moon, planets and major stars — Can you show the next photo?"

"That's an odd-looking shape; it appears the Incas had no rock carving or masonry talent."

"That's Intihhuatana, the sun's hitching post. It's the central point, the focus of the entire area. Some of its sight lines will be occluded by the proposed Tonald Drump Hotel development.