The Ancient Salt Ponds Of Maras, Peru

Before the rise of the Inca Empire, those with an eye to make money but no aversion to hard work, made their way to Maras. There, a subterranean stream surfaced and its waters were rich with salt.
Deep underground there is a vast deposit of salt, perhaps the remnant of some prehistoric ocean. Hundreds of miles from the sea, this led to a small but important local industry supplying indigenous communities with salt. The salt ponds which were created to evaporate the water, leaving the salt behind, still exist and are worked to this day in the same way.