The Chipaya people live on a plateau in the Andes at an elevation of 10,000 feet above sea level. If you listen carefully, you can hear the faint sound of a stream. White crystallized salt rises to float on the surface of the damp earth near the stream.

grass grows in earth where there is to much salt. Sheep and llamas eat the grass. The Chipaya people cut blocks out of the root-bound earth and stack it to build their acorn-shaped houses.