INDIANS OF AREQUIPA.
"We did not suffer any of this inconvenience," said Frank, in his description of the journey, "as we were protected by the carriages, and could take any position we liked. When the sun passed the meridian we could look ahead without receiving the glare in our eyes; it was a great relief when we saw the peaks of the snow-clad mountains, and in a little while the eastern horizon was filled with them. Back of Arequipa was the lofty summit of Misti, one of the grandest of the South American volcanoes, then came Chichani, with its precipitous sides, and beyond it, farther to the north, was Coropuno.
AREQUIPA, AND THE VOLCANO OF MISTI.
"As we entered Arequipa ('Place of Rest') we thought of Damascus, to which it has been compared by more than one traveller. Like Damascus, it stands on the edge of the desert, and, also like that Oriental city, it is watered by a river which nourishes its gardens, and creates a spot of living green in the midst of an arid waste. It stands in a valley ten miles long by five in width, but all around the valley is a desert. There is not sufficient water for purposes of irrigation; land that is well irrigated is worth a thousand dollars an acre, as it is wonderfully fertile and produces abundantly.
"We spent a day in Arequipa, which was a station under the Inca government before the city was founded by Pizarro, in 1540. At every step we saw traces of the terrible havoc wrought by the earthquake of 1868; there was not a block without its pile of ruins, and some of the streets reminded us of Pompeii, or of Old Delhi. Churches were reduced to a mass of rubbish, the towers of the cathedral were demolished, the university was a heap of ruins, and hundreds of the houses were still unoccupied.
"According to the accounts written at the time, the first shock of the earthquake was felt about five o'clock in the afternoon. There was a slight tremor of the ground, which increased at intervals of fifteen or twenty seconds; it was not until fully a minute after the first shock that the buildings began to fall, and consequently the inhabitants had time to escape to the streets. Compared with Ibarra and other cities, the loss of life was small. The sick in the hospital and prisoners in thecarcelwere unable to flee, and were buried in the falling ruins, and it was estimated that about three hundred others were killed. Before the earthquake the city had a population of not far from fifty thousand; it is now estimated at forty thousand, with the probability of an increase to the old figure in consequence of the revival of commerce bythe opening of the railway.
"Our attention was drawn to the use of galvanized iron for the domes of the buildings in place of stone, which was the material formerly employed. It is thought the next earthquake will have less effect than former ones, since iron can withstand what stone cannot. There is a great scarcity of wood here, or it would be popular in the construction of houses. Wooden houses can hold out against earthquakes better than those of more solid materials, as they can be twisted a great deal before falling. The best material I have ever seen for this purpose is a network of bamboo, plastered on both sides to fill the chinks between the poles and withes.
THE OLD WAY OF TRAVEL.
"We asked for the manufactures of Arequipa, but we asked in vain. There was formerly a considerable commerce with the interior, but at present there are no industries beyond the trade in alpaca wool which is the support of the city. There are only a few mercantile houses, and these are mostly German or English, and the chief occupation of the inhabitants is to do nothing. We saw only two men displaying anything like activity; they had quarrelled, and one was pursuing the other with a knife in his hand, but though he ran fast he did not overtake his intended victim.
"The altitude of Arequipa is 7650 feet above the sea; the summit of Misti, a most picturesque volcano, rises behind the city to a height of 18,500 feet, very much as Etna rises behind Catania. It is now silent,but it was fearfully active in 1868, and is liable again to burst forth as the accompaniment of another earthquake.
"The population is as uncertain, politically and socially, as the ground on which their city stands, if we may judge by the frequency with which they indulge in revolutions and insurrections. In three hundred years there have been ten or twelve severe earthquakes and innumerable smaller shocks; in the same time there have been at least a dozen revolts, while plots against the peace and dignity of the state are said to be constantly going on. In 1867 the city was bombarded for three days by the president of the republic, who failed to capture it, and it has several times been shaken by war as well as by earthquakes."
VIEW OF LAKE TITICACA.
After their day in this famous city our friends started by railway for Punno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, two hundred and eighteen miles away. Crossing an iron bridge as it left the city, the train soon began to ascend among the desert hills, and through masses of volcanic rock and cinders which gave plain proof that the mighty Chichani had not always been as quiet as at present. Dr. Bronson called the attention of the youths to the magnificent engineering, and the conductor informed them that on this one division of the road the excavations and fillings amounted to ten millions of cubic yards. "They are said to be the deepest cuttings and fillings in the world," said he, "and I certainly have never heard any one say they were not. The deepest cutting is onehundred and twenty-seven feet, and the deepest filling one hundred and forty-one."
"And bear in mind," said the Doctor, "that this work was performed far up in the mountains, where exertion is very fatiguing, and water boils before it is much more than scalding hot. Beans and other articles of food can only be cooked in closed cans to increase the pressure, and consequently the temperature."
On and up they went among the mountains, and over the dreary pampas stretching between them, crossing deep ravines, winding around precipices, threading the valleys, darting through tunnels, now on a level with the banks of snow on the sides of the giant mountains, or looking down upon the clouds that rolled at their feet. Ten, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen thousand feet of elevation were reached, and at length they halted at Vincamayo, 14,443 feet above the level of the sea. It is the creation of the railway, with an American hotel, and all the adjuncts of a relay and repairing station. It is the highest village in the world, higher than famous Potosi, and higher, too, than Cerro de Pasco. Place another Mount Washington on the top of the present one, and its summit would be nearly two thousand feet lower than Vincamayo.
Professor Orton passed a night at Vincamayo; he says he did not sleep, but spent the time in panting for breath. Our friends had the same experience with the rarefied air; the least movement caused them to breathe with difficulty, and they wisely refrained from stirring from their places. In a little while the train reached Alto del Crucero, the highest point of the line, and 14,660 feet above the Pacific at Mollendo. The surrounding land was simply a bog covered with short grass, and sprinkled in places with snow. It affords pasture for alpacas and vicunas, and as they looked from the windows of the carriage and shivered in the chilly atmosphere they saw numerous herds of these animals feeding on the plain.
THE NEVADA DE SORATA, CROWN OF THE ANDES.
From the summit the descent was gradual, among hills and over desert plains, passing between two lakes of brackish water, and along the banks of a river that had its source among the clouds. By and by the waters of Lake Titicaca were in sight, and beyond them rose the grand old peak of the Nevada de Sorata, sometimes called "the crown of the Andes."
The train ended its journey at Puno, on the shore of the lake, and the three travellers stepped again to the earth, with more than twelve thousand feet of perpendicular distance below them to the level of thesea!
VIEW ON LAKE TITICACA.
Puno is not an attractive spot. Lying at a great elevation, it has a cool climate, and its inhabitants pass a good part of the time in trying to keep warm. There are no trees in the neighborhood; before the opening of the railway the only fuel was the dried dung of llamas and other animals, and a small shrub known as tola. The nights are always cold, the thermometer sometimes descending fifteen degrees below the freezing-point, and even touching zero; people retire to bed very early, and remain there till after sunrise, as the best means of escaping thecold. Frank and Fred were obliged to follow the local custom, in spite of their overcoats and rugs. Notwithstanding the severe temperature of the place, the means of warming the houses do not receive much attention. Since the railway came, and rendered it possible to have coal, a few stoves have been set up, but they are not in general use.
PERUVIAN HEADS, ANCIENT AND MODERN.
Nine tenths of the five thousand inhabitants of Puno are of the native races; the Aymaraes occupy the southern part of the town, and the Quichuas the northern, the former being the most numerous. The rest, which includes the wealthier and more intelligent fraction of the population, is made up of people of Spanish descent, a few German and English merchants, and two or three Americanattachésof the railway. Puno owed its origin to the rich silver mines in the neighborhood, which were discovered and operated about two hundred years ago. A romantic story is told concerning these mines, and the romance is by no means free from tragedy.
Jose de Salcedo, a Spaniard, was in love with an Indian girl, and was beloved in return. She revealed to him the secret of the mines, and he worked them with enormous profit; his wealth attracted the attention of the royal officers, who found a pretext for arresting him, and taking him to Lima. He was condemned to death, and his property wasconfiscated to the government, which meant that the officials expected to transfer his wealth to their own pockets. Salcedo offered to pay a thousand marks of silver a day if they would wait until he could appeal to the king, but his offer was refused.
He was executed in the public square at Lima, and the governors proceeded to take possession of his property. He was well liked by the tribe to which his Indian maiden belonged, and as soon as the natives heard what had been done they stopped the drains of the mines, and flooded them with water. There is now a small lake over the entrance of the mine, and the Indians have ever since refused to give any information concerning the extent of the deposit, or the direction of the veins. These people will keep a secret with the utmost fidelity; torture cannot wring it from them, and they are indifferent to bribes or any other inducement. At the present time they know of rich deposits of silver in various parts of the country, but absolutely refuse to give any information concerning them.
CATHEDRAL OF PUNO.
"The Cathedral of Puno," said Fred, in his note-book, "is the most elevated building of its size in the world. It was begun in 1757, and is an imposing structure, with a specially handsome front; it is at one side of the grand plaza, where every morning is held the market for thesale of provisions. We visited the market the morning after our arrival, and were greatly interested in what we saw and learned there.
QUICHUA WOMAN (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH).
"Most of the sales are managed by women, who sit on the ground in rows stretching away from the fountain in the centre of the plaza, each with little heaps of dried potatoes, fish,charqui(dried beef), peppers, beans, pease, maize, barley, and similar things for sale. Each heap has a price fixed for it, and the rise and fall of the market are regulated by the size of the heap, the price remaining the same. Pease, beans, and pepper come from the coast, as they do not grow at the altitude of Puno; flour is too dear to be used by the lower classes, though it has fallen somewhat since the opening of the railway. Beans and pease must be reduced to powder before cooking, at this altitude, and potatoes arefrozen, and then dried and pulverized, like the beans and pease.
COCA PLANT.
"We were guided through the market by one of the English-speaking residents, who called our attention to coca, which was sold as an article of food, in the form of dried leaves. We had already seen the leaves, and heard of their qualities, but this was the first time we had seen them for sale at the side of the usual articles for supplying the table. Our informant said that coca possessed wonderful properties; I will give his words as nearly as I can remember them:
"'Coca is the dried leaf of the shruberythroxylon, and is calledcucaby the natives. It grows in the mountainous parts of Peru and Bolivia, at elevations varying from two to six thousand feet, and is a shrub or small tree about six feet high. Its leaves are gathered, and dried in the sun, and are chewed with a little quicklime, in much the same way that the natives of India and the Malay regions chew the leaf of the betel or areca palm, and certain Americans chew tobacco. Its effect is narcotic and stimulating, and the most remarkable stories are told of the endurance of the people who use it.
"A Peruvian or Bolivian Indian will travel for days without any sign of weariness, with only a small supply of coca and some dried maize; he chews the coca while walking, and it really seems to be his chief reliance. He will work or travel for twenty or thirty hours continuously, without sleep or rest, if he is allowed plenty of coca; Indians have been known to travel seventy miles a day for three days with no other sustenance than this article. In the silver mines, where the employers feed their laborers, they limit the quantity of other supplies, but give the Indians all the coca they want.'
"I asked if there were no unpleasant after-effects from the use of this drug, as in the case of opium and other narcotics.
"'Unhappily there are,' was the reply, 'but they are usually less serious than in the case of opium. Sometimes the habit increases to such a degree that the stomach cannot retain other food, and there is a constant craving for coca. The system cannot be sustained by this stimulant alone; the victim is reduced to a skeleton, becomes feverish and restless, and ultimately dies in consequence of his passion. But, as far as I have been able to learn since my residence in the country, the deaths from coca are not near as numerous, in proportion to those who use it, as those from opium, in China and other parts of the far East?
"Dr. Bronson said that an extract or alkaloid of coca, called cocaine, had recently come into use in Europe and America as an anæsthetic, for operations on the eye, and other sensitive parts of the human organization. The patient is fully conscious of what is going on, but does not experience the least pain. Its properties as a local anæsthetic were discovered in 1884, by Dr. Koller, of Vienna; and it is freely used by oculists in New York and elsewhere. It is a very costly substance, being worth some hundreds of dollars an ounce, but the quantity used for paralyzing the nerves of the eye during an operation is surprisingly small. One or two drops of a solution containing from two to four per cent. of cocaine are generally sufficient for a short operation, and twice or three times that quantity, at intervals of five or ten minutes,for a longer one.
"Thirty million pounds of coca are annually consumed in South America. The finest is grown in the Yungas district, in Bolivia, where it is cultivated somewhat as tea is cultivated in China. Its properties were known to the ancient Peruvians, and it was used in their religious ceremonies; it received divine honors, and under some of the Incas its use was reserved for the nobility. Even at this day the Indians sometimes put coca in the mouths of their dead, just as the ancient Greeks placed an obolus in the mouth of a corpse to insure its ferriage over the Styx. The miners of Peru throw quids of coca against the veins of silver, under the belief that it causes them to be more easily worked.
LLAMA.
"So much for coca. Another curiosity of Puno is the large number of llamas we see in the streets, either running at large or used as beasts of burden. The llama, guanaco, alpaca, and vicuna were 'the four sheep of the Incas,' according to Professor Orton; the first clothing the common people, the second the nobles, the third the royal governors, and the fourth the Incas. Llamas and alpacas are domesticated; guanacos and vicunas are wild. They all go in flocks, and, in their wild state, one of their number always keeps watch; if danger threatens he stamps his feet, and gives the alarm, and it must be a very swift pursuer that can overtake them.
"The four animals belong to the same family, and some naturalists say the llama is nothing more than the domesticated guanaco. The llama is found all through South America, from northern Peru to the Strait of Magellan; it has been well described as having the head of a camel, the body of a deer, the wool of a sheep, and the neigh of a horse. It prefers a cold climate to a warm one; in the torrid zone it lives at a high elevation, while on the cool plains of Patagonia, near the level of the sea, it is found in great numbers. In Patagonia it is not domesticated, but in Peru, Bolivia, and Chili it is used as a beast of burden; it is about three feet high at the shoulder, and its head five feet when the animal stands erect. It can carry a burden of not morethan a hundred pounds, lives on very scanty food, endures cold without suffering, and requires no drink as long as it can find succulent herbage. The pens where the animals are shut up at night have no shelter against the cold winds, which they do not mind in the least, and they are said to require very little care from one year's end to another.
ANCIENT GATEWAY NEAR PUNO.
"Those that we saw in the streets seemed to have things their own way, and to be indifferent to the presence of men; but when we tried to approach one he refused our acquaintance and walked away. When angry the llama stamps his feet, and ejects a saliva that causes a burning sensation if it falls on the unprotected skin; we did not care to make the experiment, and therefore refrained from irritating one of the animals.
"The alpaca is not used as a beast of burden, but is reared for its wool flesh, and skin, especially the former. You know that the alpaca wool is fine; so is that of the vicuna, which closely resembles the alpaca. The wool of the llama is about six inches long, and its fleece often weighs ten pounds. The llama is interesting from being the only native domesticated animal in South America. The horse, ox, sheep, hog, and all other animals useful to man, came from other countries.
"The principal sport of some parts of South America, especially of Patagonia, is the chase of the llama or guanaco. The hunters go on horseback or on foot, and 'stalk' their game by moving slowly towards them, being always careful not to alarm the animals. In this way they may get near enough for a shot with their rifles, but very often the guanacos are wary, and decline close acquaintance. Every hunter who can afford it keeps a lot of dogs trained to the chase, and it isinteresting to see how well they understand their work.
"If the guanacos are grazing singly on the plains the chances of overtaking them are doubtful, even for the swiftest and strongest dogs. But when a herd is being chased each animal tries to crowd into the centre of it, and so much confusion is caused that the aggregate speed is considerably diminished. Knowing this, the dogs are always eager to pursue a herd, while they look with indifference upon a solitary guanaco."
THE VICUNA.
When the subject of llamas and their kindred was under discussion, Frank suggested that it would be a good plan to introduce the llama into the United States, and wondered why it had not been done. Visions of a Llama Stock Company filled his mind, but they were dispelled by Dr. Bronson, who said the experiment had been tried, and was a failure.
"When was it made?" the youth inquired.
"In 1857," was the reply; "and the singular fact is that the difficulty in adapting the llama to our country is that the food he obtains is too good for him. What we give to our cattle and sheep does not seem to agree with him; he prefers inferior grasses, together with pea-vines, bean-stalks, straw, and such things, which our cattle would starve upon; and where he has been turned out to graze in low regions he invariablysuffers from disease of the skin. In 1857 somebody shipped seventy-two of these animals from Peru to New York; only thirty-eight lived to reach the city, and were wintered on a farm on Long Island. In the spring those that remained were sold for museums and menageries, and some of them were sent to Australia. It is quite possible that the llama would thrive on the great plains between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains; the only difficulty would be in protecting the herds from the lawless hunters until they had become sufficiently numerous and wild to take care of themselves as the antelopes do."
INDIANS AND LLAMA AMONG THE RUINS.
After a glance at the town, with its open market and massive cathedral, our friends strolled to the shore of the bay on which Puno is built. It is a sluggish body of water, fringed all around withtortoraor rushes, which grow profusely, and serve many purposes. They are used for making baskets, lining the walls of houses, filling beds, thatching roofs, and in other ways are of material advantage to the inhabitants of the region bordering the lake. They are an important item of fuel, though they burn too quickly to give off much heat; cattle feed upon these rushes, and as our friends stood on the shore of the bay they saw cows and oxen in the water nearly up to their backs, making theirbreakfasts on tortora.
CATTLE FEEDING ON RUSHES, LAKE TITICACA.
Some distance out from the shore a steamboat was lying at anchor. The guide said there were two steamboats on the lake, but the shallowness of the water prevented their coming up to Puno; they were obliged to communicate with the land by means of small boats, which were rowed or pushed along the narrow channel through the bed of reeds. These steamboats were placed on the lake before the construction of the railway; they were brought in pieces on the backs of mules, and put together on the shore. Other steamboats were promised, and it was expected that the railway would lead to a considerable commercial development which might require a dozen boats in the next decade.
Lake Titicaca is about one hundred and twenty miles long by fifty or sixty in breadth, and its greatest measurement is nearly north and south. It stands in an immense basin, roughly estimated to be six hundred miles long by two hundred broad, or three times the area of the State of New York. It receives several large streams, and discharges into Lake Aullagas; the latter lake has not been carefully surveyed, and though our friends made diligent inquiry they could learn very little about its size, or the nature and direction of its outlet. The lake is very deep in places; it never freezes over, but ice forms sometimes in the bays and shallow places.
TORTORA BRIDGE OVER THE OUTLET OF LAKE TITICACA.
Arrangements were made for a trip on the lake to visit Titicaca and Coati islands, for an inspection of the monuments of the Incas and their predecessors. Through the influence of the officials to whom he brought letters of introduction, Dr. Bronson engaged the steamboat for amoderate compensation, which included the wages and board of the crew, but left the passengers to take care of themselves. A supply of canned and other provisions was readily obtained from a merchant of Puno, and in a few hours the party was under way. The captain wanted to wait until the next morning, but the Doctor realized that one delay would be an excuse for another, and wisely insisted upon leaving the same afternoon.
HEAD-DRESS OF AYMARA WOMEN.
While they were waiting for the small boat to carry them to the steamer Frank made a sketch of the head-dress of one of the Aymara women who was looking on at their proceedings. It had a cap fitting close to the head, and held in place by strings under the chin; near the top of the cap was a horizontal piece of stiff pasteboard, oval in shape, and extending far out from the head on every side. Around the edge was a valance of black silk, or some similar material, which partially protected the face of the wearer from the sun and wind. It was not unlike a small parasol in appearance, and has been worn here from time immemorial.
The rest of the dress of the Aymara women includes a gown of blue, brown, or black material, and a shawl which is fastened at the neck with a large pin, shaped somewhat like a spoon. Sometimes a handkerchief is fastened around the neck, but it is rarely worn except on gala days.
AYMARA MEN, PUNO.
The Aymara men wear short trousers, very broad in the legs, and incase their feet in sandals, or shoes of rawhide. They wear ponchos over their shoulders, and on their heads they constantly have skull-caps, which are covered, when out of doors, with broad hats of braided grass. Men and women keep the hair long; it is invariably black, except in extreme age, when it assumes the frost that never melts, like the hair of people in other parts of the world.
AYMARA WOMAN, PUNO.
Though living side by side for centuries the Aymaraes and Quichuas preserve their distinctness, rarely associating, and never uniting in marriage. The Aymaraes hold their market at Puno in the plaza in front of the cathedral, as already described, but the Quichua market is held in another square. A Quichua woman can be distinguished from an Aymara one at a glance, as she is without the remarkable head-covering, but the dress of the men has only some slight points of difference, that cannot be observed by a stranger. The Aymaraes are thought to represent an older race than the Quichuas; the men are larger and more powerful, but the women are less inclined to good looks.
Though the two people remain distinct they are perfectly friendly, and their huts are often quite near each other. In their resistance to the Spanish conquest they made common cause, and in every revolt againsttheir oppressors they have fought side by side. Both are grave, dignified, silent, and sad, and as we look at them they seem to be musing over the misfortunes of the last three centuries, and the degradation that has followed the occupation of their land by the avaricious invaders.
These musings of Frank and Fred were cut short by the announcement that the boat was ready. Pushing along the tortuous channel through the reeds they made slow progress; but all journeys have an end, and in due time they reached the steamboat. Steam was already up, and as soon as the party was on board, with its belongings, the paddles were put in motion, and the prow turned in the direction of Titicaca Island.
A RIDE ON A BALSA, LAKE TITICACA.
Lake Titicaca is the largest body of water on the surface of the globe at an elevation exceeding twelve thousand feet, and probably the most elevated lake navigated by steam. Before the introduction of steamboats the only mode of water transit was upon balsas, or rafts, made of the tortora or rushes already mentioned; the lake is liable to be swept by sudden winds, and the party who ventures upon it in one of these frail craft runs a good chance of a wetting. The steamboats have not by any means driven the balsa from the lake, but they have rendered it less obligatory on strangers to trust themselves to its limited accommodations and its certainty of discomfort.
It was after dark when the steamer reached Titicaca Island, and ran into a little bay where there was a shelter from the wind. As nothing could be seen on the land, during the night, it was decided to sleep on board, and make an early visit to the shore in the morning. The Doctor and the youths made a hearty supper from their provisions and some hot tea, and then spread their beds on the floor of the cabin, which had no berths or other sleeping accommodations.
Several balsas came from shore in the morning, and afforded means for landing on the sacred island of Peru. Titicaca Island is about sixmiles long by four in width; it is high and rugged, and the shores are deeply indented in many places. It contains the ruins of a Temple of the Sun, a palace of the Incas, and several other buildings, which have sadly gone to decay. Frank and Fred ascended the steep acclivity at the landing-place, closely followed by the Doctor, and were soon at a little village near by, where they obtained a guide to show them through the ruins.
CLOSED DOORWAY, TITICACA ISLAND.
Near the village there were the remains of a building; tradition says it was the place where pilgrims to the sacred islands were required to remain for several days after their arrival in order to go through certain ceremonies of purification. There was a broad platform in front of the building, the latter being divided into two parts, measuringthirty-five feet one way by twenty-seven the other. The upper part of the walls had fallen, but the lower portion was well preserved. The walls were of limestone, carefully cut, and set in tough clay, which seems able to resist the ravages of the climate.
PALACE OF THE INCA.
About half a mile from the landing-place is "the Palace of the Inca" on a cliff overlooking the lake. Its walls are broken at the top, but enough remains to show the style of the ancient architecture, and the forms of the windows and doorways. Frank wondered that the earthquakes had not destroyed the palace long ago; the Doctor said this part of Bolivia is rarely visited by disturbances of the earth, the whole basin of Titicaca being singularly free from them. The home of the South American earthquake is practically confined to the western side of the Andes.
BATH OF THE INCA.
Near the palace they were shown "the Bath of the Inca," at the base of a hill which was evidently terraced at great expense. The walls of the terraces were made of cut stone, and the whole work was laid out with the skill of a surveyor. Here the Incas had their gardens, but the ground is not now cultivated, and little more than the terraces remain to show what it once was. The bath is a tank or basin of stone about five feet deep, and measuring twenty feet by forty on its surface. Vinesand other plants grow over the walls, and at one end of the tank there are three streams of water each about two inches in diameter. The sources of these streams is unknown; they come through subterranean channels, and are flowing to-day exactly as they flowed during the time of the Incas and their imperial splendor.
ROOM IN THE INCA'S PALACE.
At the farther end of the island is the sacred rock of Manco Capac, but there is little to be seen there except a high wall surrounding a natural dome of sandstone. The Doctor did not think the sight would compensate for the time and fatigue of the journey, and the stone was left to take care of itself. The youths consoled themselves by studying the engraving in Mr. Squier's work and reading the tradition concerning the rock.
THE SACRED ROCK OF MANCO CAPAC.
It was here that Manco Capac is said to have descended to earth, and down to this day the natives approach the place with great reverence. It was formerly believed that no bird would alight upon it, and no animal would dare to set his foot there. The presence of mortal man was forbidden. It was here that the sun rose to dispel the mists around the mountains and over the land, and for many years none but the priests could even come within sight of the rock. At one time it was plated with gold and silver and covered with a veil, which was never removed excepton the occasion of religious festivals.
The sloping sides of the hill crowned by the rock are terraced andwalled off into platforms; these platforms contain the remains of small buildings, which are supposed to have been the residences of the priests and attendants upon the worship of the founder of the line of Incas. There was formerly a garden on the terraces, and the earth for its construction was said to have been brought on the backs of men a distance of four hundred miles!
Doubtless the work of the Incas was performed under the same oppression as that of the rulers of ancient Egypt. The latter built the Pyramids by the unpaid labor of their subjects; the former terraced the rugged sides of Titicaca Island, and erected their temples and palaces with little thought of the lives that were lost in the toil. The history of the Old World is repeated in the New.
GROUND-PLAN OF "PALACE OF THE INCA," TITICACA ISLAND.
BRIDGE AND CUSTOM-HOUSE AT THE FRONTIER.
The party spent the day on Titicaca Island, examining the ruins which attested the power of the Incas and their predecessors, and studying the magnificent views that were presented in almost every direction. In the east lay the Andes of Bolivia, while to the west was the chain of the cordillera they had crossed on their way from the coast to Puno. Lake Titicaca lies between Peru and Bolivia, the western shore belonging to the former country, and the eastern to the latter. The outlet of the lake is the dividing-line, and at each end of the bridge which crosses the river there is a custom-house, where officials of the respective countries are stationed. The bridge is built on rafts, or balsas, made of the reeds growing in the lake; the footway is composed of thesereeds, and supported by the balsas beneath it.
They returned to the steamboat at nightfall, and gave orders for the captain to move to Coati Island, about six miles distant, as soon as daylight permitted. Weary with their tramp, they slept soundly; when they waked in the morning the steamer was at anchor at its destination, and as soon as breakfast was over they went on shore.
Titicaca Island was specially consecrated to the sun, while Coati was dedicated to the moon. The former is steep and rugged; the latter is only moderately elevated, and capable of cultivation from one end to the other. It is about half as large as Titicaca Island, and is occupied by a few families of Indians, who cultivate potatoes and other things, and look after a flock of sheep which is pastured there. Judging by the appearance of the sheep, Frank and Fred were of opinion that the pasture was a good one.
RUINS ON COATI ISLAND.
Coati contains a Temple of the Moon and a Palace of the Virgins; both are greatly ruined, but sufficiently preserved to indicate their original extent and character. Near the ancient landing-place there are gates, and temples of purification similar to those on Titicaca Island, and doubtless used for the same purposes. About midway of the island is the principal group of ruins, and our friends spent several hours in examining the walls and terraces, and studying what is left of the architecture of the buildings. Only the lower story of the edifice remains; the upper part appears to have been made of wood, and disappeared long ago.
An inner court of the building is now used by the Indian shepherds as an enclosure for their sheep at night, and when Frank and Fred entered it one of the guardians of the flock was driving his charges out to pasture. According to tradition, this court-yard was the corral where the sacred llamas and vicunas were kept in the days of the Incas; from their wool the royal garments and the hangings of the temple were made, by the women who inhabited the palace near by.
The temple is elevated some distance above the lake; between the temple and the edge of the water the ground slopes off in a series of terraces carefully built of stone. Each terrace has a wall about breast-high around its edge, and a person walking there ran no risk of falling down the declivity. From one terrace to another there is a series of stonesteps, so that the ascent and descent were easy.
Sitting on the front of the upper terrace the travellers mused upon the scenes of the past, and endeavored to picture the appearance of the island in the days when the Incas were in the height of their power, and the temples were crowded with pilgrims from all parts of the empire.
"These temples and palaces," said the Doctor, "are by no means the finest monuments of the ancient Peruvians in the Titicaca basin. A little beyond the southern extremity of the lake is the village of Tiahuanaco, where the ruins are far more extensive than on either of the islands."
"Mr. Squier calls Tiahuanaco the Baalbec of America," said Fred. "To judge by his description of the remains he found there, the name is well merited."
Frank had not yet read the account which Mr. Squier gives of his visit to the spot. At his request Fred made a brief synopsis of the story.
"On his arrival," said Fred, "he was impressed with the great number of finely cut stones that were built into the rudest edifices, or were used for pavements. The church is mainly constructed of them, and the cross in front of it stands on an ancient stone pedestal, which far surpasses it in the excellence of its workmanship. On all sides are the relics ofantiquity adapted to the uses of the present time; Tiahuanaco has been used as a quarry, from whence have been taken the finely cut and polished stones for building all the churches and villages of the valley, and even for the roads and bridges.
INDIANS CELEBRATING THE CHUNO, OR POTATO FESTIVAL.
"He happened to arrive at the time the Indians were engaged in celebrating thechuno, or potato festival; they were dancing in the public square, beating on drums or tambourines, and wearing head-coverings that resembled enormous umbrellas. Each group of men was accompanied by several female dancers, the latter wearing hats with broad, stiff brims, and ornamented above the brims with semicircular representations of the rays of the rising sun, that closely resembled an open fan. There were three of these semicircular pieces above the brim of the hat, and each of the dancers wore a scarf over the left shoulder; the scarf was of variegated colors, but the rest of the costume was blue.