Inca astronomy is unique among world cultures. Living as they do among the high peaks of the Andes, the sky is so clear and unpolluted by the light of modern life that the Milky Way appears as a bright band across the sky, rather than the faint veil of stars that we see. Additionally, the altitude at which they live allows them to see the dark clouds within the Milky Way, and it is these clouds which the Incas use to form constellations. Their dark cloud astronomy is what is depicted here in one large format piece stretching across three metres. The original piece is visble in the centre, and the other images in this gallery provide details from the main image.