Notes: Beyond El Misti

I'm not sure if I touched upon the Inca Empire in the way I wanted. I really didn't know what to write. I was unsure of calling them "great warriors" in a children's book. All in all, the stories have worked themselves into a pretty interesting tapestry that didn't become too stereotypical.

At first, I was reluctant to write about Machu Pichu, but I saw how much the Incan Emprie influenced the entire coastal culture and felt I had to deal with it in the best manner possible. I wrote two stories, "Marinera" and "Mountain to Mountain" with an emphasis on the ancient areas of Cusco, including the fortress at Sacsayhuaman, thermal springs of Aguas Calientes, and finally, Machu Picchu itself.

Unlike the traditional culture, I put the brothers/parents in a more affluent position than the masses in all areas outside of Lima. I had chosen not to place the stories in Lima, because the grand majority of Peruvians still live in the rural areas, regardless of the financial center in the capital.

I will probably have to refine the character of the cities in later editions, but that's still open for debate among myself and my editor. In the meantime, I'm glad I concentrated my focus on the aspect of Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. I think it's an accurate depiction of rural Peruvian life.

Additionally, I'm thinking of changing the name to "Beyond El Misti", since that touches the main topic of the entire book. It will steer away from my typical naming of each collection, eponymous to the first story in each collection.