Ah yes, Looks like you might be missing the ore which is on the floor. I'll see if I can find which floor. First you must blow the flame 3 times with the reed, then place the crucible with the ore in it above the fire then add the flux, then place the bone mold on the floor to put the melted ore that makes a Tupu, then place the mold in the water to cool. That should give you the tupu which you will need later.

Thanks BeaSong. I received your PM also and went around with both the axe and the pick trying walls. I hit something with the pick in the room (I think with the Eagle) but I don't know what actually happened. I no longer have the pick but I also don't have any ore and still can't do anything in the puzzle. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or what I'm missing or where I'm missing it.

I tried to PM you the answer but must not be doing it right. Sounds like you have the right order of events. You have the tube to blow the flame 3 times, then the Crucible on top with the gold ore and flux in it, then place in the mold on the floor to make the tupu, then the water to cool. Sounds like you did the whole thing right. I don't see what you might be missing. If it doesn't allow you to go on, that probably means that you are missing something that you will need to exit this Tambo or to use in the next Tambo, but it you got this far you have done REALLY well and only have a couple of scenes to go. Maybe it's the gem on the floor when you first come in and light the torch, I always miss that one. This Tambo will make the others seem easier.

I just found the gem today. What torch? The one in the room with the cat?

I have not done all of what you are stating. That is what I am trying to do but am unable to do. I'm pretty sure I used the reed as the flame is quite high but I do still have a reed in inventory, and I have the crucible but I don't know if there is ore in it or not. I never found any ore. I cannot put the crucible on the flame at all and cannot put the flux in it. Nor can I put the mold on the floor . I guess I may just have to skip this puzzle as I'm not sure I'm explaining right about what I need help with. I have gone past this room but cannot yet do anything more there either.

Ah yes, the gem is outside of the room that had the flux. Yes, the reed is used 3x to get the fire hot enough, then the reed goes away. I'm thinking the gold ore is what's missing. As long as you have placed the symbols above the doors of the condor, puma and snake, you should have everything to get thru the next Tambo. Oh, and make sure you collected a bag from the floor before you leave. You'll need it in the next tambo. This is definitely a difficult tambo!

I'm sorry. I have placed all the symbols and I have the bag. I cannot proceed. I can get to another room where there is a ladder but "I must not leave the Llama behind". I can also get outside to where a person is sitting on a wall but I assume I need to gift the person with something that I do not have.

No need to be sorry, you are doing great to get so far and patient for me to reply. Yes, you are right. The first woman gets the Tupu that you made with the smelting. Even if you skipped, you should have the Tupu. Then the next two women need a gem each. The first gem is in the first scene that has the torch and the last gem is in the scene leaving the smelting room on the way out.

I didn't skip yet. I was hoping to be able to work the puzzle out. Where do I get the ore and how do I pick it up? What does it look like? There is something on the floor right where the puzzle is that I think could be ore but I cannot pick it up so I don't know. Is there some trick to putting the crucible on the flame, like some exact spot that I might be missing?

It is just a chunk of gold on the floor that you tap to collect. I can't remember which scene. I think it's in the same place where you found the crucible. I'll have to go see if I can find it. No trick to the crucible, it just has to have the gold in it to work.

I hope your are doing OK. I'm out camping and only have spotty coverage.

I haven't been playing much because I'm trying to avoid skipping that puzzle but still not getting anywhere.

Enjoy your camping (or glamping as you mentioned on the other post)!

I'm going to hunt for that piece of gold soon as I get a chance so I can tell you where it is.

Okay, thanks!

Got it! The gold ore is on the floor in the same room where you found the crucible and mold for the tupu. You need to put the ore in the crucible before you place the crucible above the smelting pot and add the flux to that then you will be able to place the mold to pour the gold to make the tupu, then cool it in the water and leave through that door

Unfortunately, I don't know which room I found the crucible in. Can you describe it to me?

Yes, wish I could send you a picture. It is the first room that you come to that has two tunnels to go through right after the room that has the puma above the braced tunnel. I hope that makes sense.

Okay, there are two bags, a vase, 4 axes, 2 hanging spiders, 2 bugs on the floor, but NO ore that I can see or pick up - clicked all over. Could I have encountered a glitch of some kind?

Yes, that's the room. did you scroll your inventory bag sideways to make she it's not in your bag? check that and I'll recheck mine. OK, checked mine. If yours isn't there we must have found a bug. I'll check it with my programmer

It's not in my inventory UNLESS it is already in the Crucible which I can't tell. In that case (if it's in the crucible) then the problem is actually with putting the crucible above the smelting top which I cannot do. I can't be certain which area is the real problem. I may have picked the ore up and put it in the Crucible already. I just can't remember. There is a lot of clicking and I sometimes am not sure what is happening.

Thank you for all your help, BeaSong!

OHBOY! I understand. That one has maybe too many elements to combine. So, if the crucible can't be placed above the pot with the ore in it, maybe there is something else missing. You picked up the flux with the mortar bowl, right? That would go next if we can get that crucible up there. And the fire is three high, and you have the mold, so I can't think of what else it could be that could be missing. Darn frustrating! I'm going to replay it to see if I can find anything that helps. I can play it on Windows 10 or 11. Which Windows are you using?

Yes, I have the flux and the mold. I THINK the fire has been dealt with but since I don't know what it should look like I cannot be sure. The smoke does go up high towards the ceiling. I am almost positive that I had picked up 2 reeds. I did use one on the smelter and then (again I THINK) it ended up hanging on the wall next to that cord thing, but I do still have a reed in my inventory. It does not do anything if I use it on the smelter though, which would make sense since I believe I already did that BUT you said the reed should then be gone from my inventory, and it's not. Whew! Confusing!

I am playing on Windows 10.

OK, maybe this will help. Assuming that you found the ore in the place that also had the crucible and the mold.
The crucible and the ore have to be combined in the inventory bag BEFORE the crucible is placed above the smelter, then the flux. The crucible will go back to your inventory (maybe it worked for you already?) and then you place the mold on the floor and fill the mold with the crucible that is in your inventory bag. And then to be cooled in the water. Hope this works. I think you were successful before and that's why it's not there. I'm on Windows 10 too.

But I have the flux still showing in inventory and I cannot do anything with it. I also have the mold in inventory but cannot place it onto the floor to fill it from the crucible.

Believe me, I have tried all of the steps over and over and over.

Okay, I was clicking around again and this time I clicked on something that told me that the map will help me to go back for the flute, so maybe I am missing a flute? I had gone back to the very beginning at least once and looked all over for missing items but I am heading back again. Meanwhile, in case I don't find it, where would that be?

Edit: Nope! Another dead end. I found where to get the flute and remember that I did go back earlier and got it. I don't have it anymore so apparently I used it somewhere or gave it to somebody.

So, still stuck!

Oh dern! Let's see, you traded avocados to an old man at the festival for the flute. You earned the gold disc from the elder at the end of that Tambo. You played the flute so the Llama could find you after falling in the mine from the earthquake.
In order to complete the tasks in the mine, you should have the mortar to collect the flux (sounds like you did that). In the first tunnel scene (where you placed the torch) there is a small gem that you will need to give a woman after you leave the Tambo. During your time in the mine you placed the gold figures above the doorways (from collecting the gold figures from the gear puzzle on the wall) that gave you the fishing hook, slingshot and axe, and I think you said that you collected the bag from the floor in one of the tunnels. With that, (and the tupu) we should be able to complete the Tambo. So, I'm curious as to what is left in your bag, to see if you have everything to leave. If you tap on an item in the bag it will say what it is, and you can see if it says the crucible has the gold with it or not. OH! I think it's the mortar that's missing to collect the flux. I'll tell you where it is. Let me go find it. OK, got it. In the Tambo with the maze, it is in the 4th room that you come to, on the floor, before you get to the fountain with the cairn. The map can jump you close to and from.
First thing we need to know is if the gold ore is in the crucible. If so, we can put that above the smelting pot (that is hot from 3 blows of the reed) then add the flux. then we can put the mold on the floor, pour the gold to make the tupu then put it in the water to cool.

I tried to send a PM to you with a walkthru for the mine