Carved Upright Stone
At the time of the Spanish conquest in the 1530s, the Incas were building a new temple complex high up in the citadel. This ten-foot-high stone was left at the base of the mountain before transport up the stairs and terraces to the temple. Its form is both complex and simple, and may be both practical and aesthetic. In their seemingly-effortless command of stone-forming, the Incas usually chose abstract forms and ornament over representational detail.
(exhibit label)