vines of their country so well that they appeared while those of the third order had only a single to grow there; and wrought among them birds, chapel, dedicated to the Sun. butterflies, and snakes large and small, which appeared to run and twine about them as if suspended in the air." The convents, or mansions of the Virgins of the Sun (Pasna huasi), were very large buildings, similar to the royal hostleries, and surrounded by high walls. The whole number in the empire amounted to twenty or twenty-five, and some of them contained as many as a thousand persons. But the temples presented the best examples of Peruvian architecture, and among these the temples of the Sun were most remarkable. They were of three classes. Those of the first order had seven sections or divisions communicating interiorly. The principal division occupied the centre of the structure, and was dedicated to Inti, or the Sun. It had a broad door-way opening to the east, and was richest of all in its decorations. The second division was sacred to Mama Quilla, the Moon; the third to Coyllur, the Stars; the fourth to Illapa, the Lightning; the fifth to Ckuichi, the Rainbow; the sixth was devoted to the high priest and the assemblages for deliberation of priests of the Inca blood, and the seventh to those attached to the service of the temple. Besides these chapels, there were a number of small rooms for the servants of the temple generally. The temples of the Sun of the second class had only two principal parts, that of the luminary itself, and that of the Moon; Among the temples, that of the Sun at Cuzco was without doubt the most magnificent. It was hardly less celebrated for its architecture than for its riches, and the few remains which have descended to us fully sustain the assertion of the early chroniclers that it was the "most wonderful temple of the New World." The accompanying engraving represents a part of the foundations of the temple, now surmounted by a convent of Dominican friars. In the language of Peru, this temple was called Inti-huasi, or House of the Sun, and the ward of the city in which it was built Coricancha, Place of Gold. It covered a considerable area, of upward of four hundred paces in circuit, and was entirely surrounded by a strong wall, two stages high, composed, as was the whole edifice, of large blocks of stone, accurately joined, and highly polished. This wall was surmounted by a kind of cornice or border of gold, a palm and a half broad, let in the stones. The especial sanctuary of the Sun, as we have already said, had a doorway opening toward the east. It was ceiled with cotton cloth of primrose hue, bordered with various and brilliant colors, which vailed the straw roof. A golden band bordered the walls, inside and out, where they joined the roof; and the inner walls were literally covered with plates of gold. This metal was called "the tears of the Sun," and was especially sacred to that luminary. Upon the western walls of the sanctuary, and facing the entrance, was the image of the Sun, made of a single great plate of gold, and representing a human face, surrounded with rays, heavily crusted with emeralds and other precious stones.* On both sides of the image were placed the embalmed bodies of the Incas, each seated upon a chair of gold. The chapel of the Moon was similar to that of the Sun, except that its ornaments were of silver, and that the image of that luminary on the wall had the face of a woman. Here were placed the embalmed bodies of the wives of the Incas. The chapel dedicated to the Stars resembled that of the Moon: it had a golden door, and was hung with cloth, spangled with stars. The chapel of the Lightning was ornamented with gold, and that of the Rainbow had the arch of promise brilliantly painted on its walls. "All the plate, the ornaments, the utensils of every description appropriated to the uses of religion, were of gold or silver. Twelve immense vases of the latter metal stood on the floor of the great saloon, filled with grain of the Indian corn: the censers for the perfumes, the ewers which held the water for sacrifice, the pipes which conducted it through subterraneous channels into the buildings, the reservoir that received it, even the agricultural implements used in the gardens of the temple, were all of the same rich materials. The gardens, like those described belonging to the royal palaces, sparkled with gold and silver, and various imitations of the vegetable kingdom. Animals also were to be found there among which the llama with its golden fleece was most conspicuous-executed in the same style, and with a degree of skill which in this instance probably did not surpass the excellence of the material." Besides the temples of the Sun, there were others dedicated to different divinities, which were unlike in their construction. Cieza de Leon mentions one in the island of Lampana, dedicated to the terrible Tumpal, God of War, which was made of black stone. Its interior was entirely dark, and the walls covered with horrible paintings. In it was an altar, upon which human sacrifices were made. There were still other temples, at Pachacamac and Tiaguanico, supposed to have been built before the foundation of the Inca dynasty, of which we shall speak when we come to describe the ancient monuments of Peru. FORTIFICATIONS. The system of fortification of the Peruvians, considering the weapons in use among them, displayed much military judgment and skill. The pucaras, or forts, in respect of position, were always well-chosen, and the natural advantages of the place invariably turned to good account. The most remarkable of these works was that of the capital, and it deserves to rank among the most marvelous results of the brute force of man. Tradition refers its commencement to the end of the 14th century, under the reign of the Inca Pachacutec. It was built upon a steep hill, called Sacsahuaman, a little to the north of the city of Cuzco. The declivity of this hill on the side of the town is very abrupt, and was defended by only a single wall, about a thousand feet in length. Upon the north, the slope was gentle, and this side, being most exposed, was defended by three walls, one within another, each enfiladed by bastions projecting thirty yards beyond the line. The remains of these outer walls are shown in the accompanying engraving. (Fig. 4.) FIG. 4.-REMAINS OF OUTER WALLS OF THE FORTRESS OF CUZCO. The walls of this fortress, like those of most | twenty-two broad, and six thick, and raised in of the Peruvian edifices were Cyclopean in structure. The stones were rough, and only worked at the points of junction, and for the breadth of the hand on their face, so that the polished lines of the joints presented a pleasing appearance. The size of the stones was astonishing; some were not less than fifty feet long, the wall midway from its base to its summit. The subjoined engraving (Fig. 5), presenting an end view of the walls, illustrates their construction. In each of the walls was a narrow entrance, which could be closed with a single stone. But these walls did not constitute the entire strength of the fortress. Within them, were four smaller forts or strongholds, two round and two square, and destined to receive the royal According to the Padres Acosta and Calancha, this figure of the Sun fell to the lot of Captain Sierra in the distribution of the spoils of the temple, who gambled it away in a single night. Hence in Peru it is common for family, the priests, and the treasures of the ema gambler, in expressing his determination and persever-pire, in times of danger. Subterranean passages ance, to say, "I shall play the Sun before I go." led from these to the palace of the Inca, and the VOL. VII.-No. 37.-B FIG. 5.-END VIEW OF THE WALLS OF THE FORTRESS OF CUZCO. temple of the Sun, so arranged that they could markable. They are lined with flat stones, from be closed on the inside with vast curtains of stone. The fortresses of the empire were not all of the same character, but varied in form and size according to the circumstances of the case. Some were of large dimensions, and inclosed cultivated grounds, for the support of their garrisons, while others were mere towers. Of the latter character is the tower of Chupan, situated on the banks of the Marañon, upon the edge of a high, abrupt precipice, and entirely commanding the road at its feet. See Fig. 6. FIG. 6.-TOWER OF CHUPAN. AQUEDUCTS. The hydraulic works of the ancient Peruvians merit our attention alike from their admirable construction, their extent, and their usefulness. In all these respects they were unsurpassed by any similar works of ancient or modern times. They were sometimes mere open cuts, but were generally subterranean-and of such solid construction that many of them are still in perfect Among them, those in the valley of Mich give it rare fertility, are most re four to six feet long, and three broad, accurately joined the interior height of the passage being from six to eight feet. One built by the Inca Viracocha, led from the high grounds of Parco to Rucanas, a distance of seventy-five miles; and another traversed almost all Contisuya, and extended, from north to south, more than four hundred and fifty miles, running along the summits of the highest hills, and terminating at Quechuas. Old Garcilasso says of these aqueducts, "They may well be compared to the miraculous fabrics which have been the works of mighty princes who have left their prodigious monuments of ostentation to be admired in future ages; for we ought to consider that these waters had their sources in high mountains, and were carried over craggy rocks, and almost inaccessible passages; and to make these ways plane, they had no help of instruments forged of steel or iron, such as pickaxes and sledges, nor were acquainted with the use of arches to convey the water on the level from one precipice to another, but were obliged to trace around the mountains, until they found ways and passages of the same height and level with the springs." BRIDGES. The bridges constructed by the Peruvians were exceedingly simple, but well adapted for passing those rapid streams which rush down from the Andes, and defy the skill of the modern engineer. They consisted of strong cables of the cabuya or of twisted raw hide, stretched from one bank to the other, something after the style of the suspension bridges of our times. Poles were lashed across transversely, covered with branches, and these again covered with earth and stones, so as to form a solid floor. Other cables extended along the sides which were interwoven with limbs of trees, forming a kind of wicker balustrade. In some cases the mode of transit was in a species of basket or car, suspended on a single cable, and drawn from side to side, with ropes. It would appear at first glance that bridges of this description could not be very lasting, yet a few still exist which are said to have been constructed under the Incas, more than three hundred years ago. Be this as it may, the modern inhabitants of some parts of Peru and Chili, still use the same means of passing their torrent rivers. PUBLIC ROADS. Perhaps the most glorious monuments of the civilization of the Peruvians were the public or royal roads, extending from the capital to the remotest parts of the empire. Their remains are still most impressive, both from their extent and the amount of labor necessarily involved in their construction; and in contemplating them we know not which most to admire, the scope of their projectors, the power and constancy of the Incas who carried them to a completion, or the patience of the people who constructed them under all the obstacles resulting from the topography of the country, and from imperfect means of execution. They built these roads in deserts, among moving sands reflecting the fierce rays of a tropical sun; they broke down rocks, graded precipices, leveled hills, and filled up valleys without the assistance of powder or of instruments of iron; they crossed lakes, marshes, and rivers, and, without the aid of the compass, followed direct courses in forests of eternal shade, -they did, in short, what even now, with all of modern knowledge and means of action, would be worthy of the most powerful nations of the globe. One of the principal of these roads extended from Cuzco to the sea, and the other ran along the crest of the Cordilleras from one end of the empire to the other-their lengths, with their branches, being from 2000 to 4000 miles. Modern travelers compare them, in respect of structure, to the best works of the kind in any part of the world. In ascending mountains too steep to admit of grading, broad steps were cut in the solid rocks, while the ravines and hollows were filled with heavy embankments, flanked with parapets, and planted with shade-trees and fragrant shrubs. They were from eighteen to twenty-five Castilian feet broad, and were paved with immense blocks of stone, sometimes covered with a flooring of asphaltum. At regular distances on these roads were erected buildings for the accommodation of travelers, which we have already described under the name of tambos. "To these conveniences were added the establishment of a system of posts, by which messages might be transmitted from one extremity of the Inca's dominions to the other in an incredibly short time. The service of the posts was performed by runners-for the Peruvians possessed no domestic animal swifter of foot than man-stationed in small buildings, likewise erected at easy distances from each other, all along the principal roads. These messengers or chasquis, as they were termed, wore a peculiar uniform, were trained to their particular vocation, and had each their allotted station, between which and the next it was their duty to speed along at a certain pace with the message, dispatch, or parcel intrusted to their care. On drawing near to the station at which they had to transmit the message to the next courier, who was then to carry it further, they were to give a signal of their approach, in order that the other might be in readiness to receive the missive, and no time be lost; and thus it is said that messages were forwarded at the rate of 150 miles a day." INSTRUMENTS OF COPPER. It is somewhat remarkable that, while the Peruvians devised means for working stones and other substances much more obstinate, they failed in discovering tools capable of separating with facility the tenacious fibres of wood. This material was therefore little used by them for common purposes. They had a species of ax made of copper alloyed with tin, and had chisels of the same material, but were unacquainted buried at one time, by the carriers who were conducting this enormous treasure for the rans. of Atahuallpa, when they heard of the treachery whereby he was slain." of which they are composed is 95 parts cop-| per and 5 parts tin. In some cases the proportion of tin, and their consequent hardness, were greater. The axes were much the same shape with ours, except that they were inserted in the handle, and not as with us, the handle in the ax. Hoes, of this compound metal, for grub-were only open cuts, and the veins were abanbing, similar to those now used, were common; as were also battle-clubs or maces, tweezers, etc., all of the same material. * FIG. 10.-COPPER WAR MACE. In consequence of the want of tools, therefore, wherewith to work it, stone generally supplied the place of wood in their edifices. Wood was only used for the ridge-pole and rafters. The doors were commonly curtained with cloth and skins; but those of the palaces and temples were composed of plates of the precious metals soldered together. THE PRECIOUS METALS. In reducing metals from the ores, and in casting and working them, the Peruvians excelled. They were acquainted with gold, silver, tin, copper, and quicksilver; but iron, although its ores were abundant, was entirely unknown. Gold, as we have intimated, was most esteemed, and they seem to have procured it in greatest abundance. Upon this point Dr. Von Tschudi observes: "If we compare its abundance, in the time of the Incas, with the quantity which the Spaniards have obtained since the conquest from the washings and mines, we are forced to believe that the Peruvians were acquainted with mines and other sources of supply which their successors have failed to discover; and it seems not unlikely that the time may come when the vail shall be raised from riches in Peru, which shall equal if not surpass those of California. During the second half of the sixteenth century," continues this author, "in the short space of twenty-five years, the Spaniards exported from Peru to the mother country more than 400,000,000 ducats of gold and silver, of which more than nine-tenths was booty taken by the conquerors.* In this computation the immense quantities of the precious metals buried by the Incas is, of course, not included. It is known that eleven thousand llama loads of gold in dust and precious vases, were It is said that the chain of gold which the Inca Huayna Capac made, in honor of the birth of his first son, was of the thickness of a man's wrist, and three hundred ices in length.-Zarate, lib. i., c. 14. They reduced both gold and silver from the ores by smelting. The silver mines, however, doned when the ores became too hard to yield readily to their instruments. They mixed the ore in portable ovens with galena, or lead, which they called suruchec, "that which makes to run." The mode of reduction practiced by the Indians is still in use among the miners. The Incas prohibited the production of quicksilver-as much probably because of its supposed uselessness, as on account of its deleterious qualities. Its use was confined to the manufacture of vermilion for painting. This pigment was forbidden to the common people. Regarded as peculiarly sacred to the Sun, gold was extensively used for sacred purposes. In common with silver, it was offered to that divinity in the form of vases, and effigies of birds, and animals. In working both these metals, the ancient smiths were exceedingly expert; they cast it in moulds, soldered it, inlaid it, and reduced it into leaves. It was generally cast hollow, and with so much perfection as to leave no trace of the joints of the mould. Fig. 11 represents one of these figures, in which will be noted alternate bands of copper, silver, and pure gold, so well inlaid and united that they appear to form one mass. The body of the figure is composed of a mixture of silver, antimony, and tin. Sometimes the smiths made their figures of men and objects of the precious metals, cut to the proper shape, and then soldered together. Occasionally, in vases and other open vessels, they embossed figures on the outside by hammering from the interior; but the ornaments thus made were comparatively rude. The art of gilding was not known to the Peruvians, but that of plating was extensively practiced. They also drew wire of gold and silver, of exceeding delicacy, which was often interwoven in cloth. Unfortunately, but few of the finest works of the Peruvian silversmiths have descended to our days, having been FIG. 11.-PERUVIAN IDOL. |