828 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



dred years in advance of the Europeans ? The year was called 

 by a name derived from a Quichua word signifying to hind, and 

 the half century of fifty years was figured by the hieroglyph of a 

 bundle of reeds tied with a ribbon. Each of the twelve months 

 was named after its principal festival. 



In the month of December a peculiar dance, in which only men 

 participated, was performed with great solemnity on the plaza in 

 front of the Temple of the Sun at Cuzco. Offerings were made to 

 the divinity of lamas, which were burned on pyres of odorous 

 woods ; and birds and various animals, but rarely human victims, 

 were sacrificed. The dances followed, representatives of all the 

 provinces taking part in them. These dances were instituted by 

 Huayna Capac, the twelfth Inca. Two or three hundred men, 

 holding one another's hands, executed a kind of farandale, step- 

 ping in concert two paces forward and one backward, so that they 

 constantly gained ground, and all the time singing of the exploits 

 of the Incas. Huayna Capac had a golden chain made which they 

 all took hold of. It was as long as the two plazas of Cuzco, and 

 was composed of rings of the diameter of the sun. The Indians 

 hid it carefully at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, and a 

 legend relates that it was thrown into the depths of Lake Titicaca. 

 The young Incas appeared at this festival, according to the ex- 

 pression of the historian Balboa, as armed knights. The sages 

 charged with their education prepared them for the solemnity by 

 scourging them with leaves and rubbing their figures with the 

 blood of the offered lamas. The blood of the lamas and other 

 victims also flowed in January, February, March, and April. 

 The feast of the corn harvest was celebrated in May, and was 

 held in the Gardens of the Sun, on the hill Colcampata. The 

 people intoxicated themselves with a fermented drink {chicha), 

 made from corn and fruit, and danced in masquerade. 



For the June festival, which was dedicated to the sun, rude 

 statues of men and women were made and covered with rich vest- 

 ments. The courts of the temples were strewn with flowers, and 

 the reigning Inca, with the chiefs of the tribes, executed sacred 

 dances. The feast of the Pleiades is still celebrated in this month. 

 In July and August spotted lamas and pigs were sacrificed, as 

 an offering to obtain abundant crops. 



The vernal equinox was celebrated in September. All the 

 idols were collected in one place previous to the rising of the 

 moon. As soon as the star appeared above the horizon the In- 

 dians uttered loud cries for the aversion of harm, and struck one 

 another with whips of burning straw ; washed in a running 

 brook ; and, on their return, sacrificed a hundred white lamas. 

 They kept intoxicated for four days, and ate cakes prepared by 

 maidens with the blood of the victims. Another hecatomb was 



