A simple meal (Inca Andes, circa 1500 CE)

The sun stood high as Tupa walked home from the fields. Mama Ocllo had already laid out the midday meal: boiled potatoes, a thick corn soup, and a small bowl of chicha. The children, Inti and Chaska, sat cross-legged beside their parents, eating quietly. No one rushed. This was their pause—warm food, mountain air, and time together before the work resumed.