Statue of Pachecuti, a supreme ruler of the Incas, one of those responsible for the spread of the Inca Empire along the length of the Andes from Ecuador to Chile.

Quetchua flute player near the Inca ruins of Pisac in the background, Urubamba valley, Andes Mts Quetchua, the language of the Incas, is still widely spoken by millions of indigenous inhabitants of the Andes region today, and is a term used to describe the traditional people who dwell in the Andes region of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. . Photo by Dan Kass.

Quetchua children near the ruins of Pisac, Urubamba Valley (also known as 'the sacred valley of the Incas'), Andes Mts

Quetchua children in Cuzco playing 'jacks'. One of them is holding a lamb.

Quetchua woman weaving a textile using a backstrap loom, streets of Cuzco

Arts and crafts for sale along the road to the Urubamba valley from Cuzco

Portrait of a Quetchua man, market at Chinchero, Urubamba valley

Quetchua mother and child, village of Ollantaytambo ( photo by Janet Kass )

Market woman, village of Pisac

Market woman, village of Pisac

Woman selling coca leaves, market at Chinchero, Urubamba valley

Quetchua mother and children, market at Pisac, Urubamba valley