IS35.] ANCIENT INDIAN HOUSES. 357 



111 this northern part of Chile, within the Cordillera, old 

 Indian houses are said to be especially numerous ; by digging 

 amongst the ruins, bits of woollen articles, instruments of pre- 

 cious metals, and heads of Indian corn, are not unfrecjuently 

 discovered: an arrow-head made of agate, and of precisely the 

 same form with those now used in Tierra del Fuego, was given 

 me. I am aware that the Peruvian Indians now frequently 

 inhabit most lofty and bleak situations ; but at Copiapo I was 

 assured by men who had spent their lives in travelling througli the 

 Andes, that there were very many (muchisunas) buildings at 

 heigiits so great as almost to border on the perpetual snow, and 

 in parts where there exist no passes, and where the land pro- 

 duces absolutely nothing, and what is still more extraordinary, 

 where there is no water. Nevertheless it is the opinion of the 

 people of the country (although they are much puzzled by the 

 circumstance), that, from the appearance of the houses, the In- 

 dians must have used them as places of residence. In this 

 valley, at Punta Gorda, the remains consisted of seven or eight 

 square little rooms, which were of a similar form with those at 

 Tambillos, but built chiefly of mud, which the present inhabit- 

 ants cannot, either here or, according to Ulloa, in Peru, imitate 

 in durability. They were situated in the most conspicuous and 

 defenceless position, at the bottom of the flat broad valley. There 

 was no water nearer than three or four leagues, and that only in 

 very small quantity, and bad : the soil was absolutely sterile ; I 

 looked in vain even for a lichen adhering to the rocks. At the 

 present day, with the advantage of beasts of burden, a mine, 

 unless it were very rich, could scarcely be worked here with 

 profit. Yet the Indians formerly chose it as a place of resi- 

 dence ! If at the present time two or three showers of rain 

 were to fall annually, instead of one, as now is the case, during 

 as many years, a small rill of water would probably be formed 

 in this great valley ; and then, by irrigation (which was formerly 

 so well understood by the Indians), the soil would easily be ren- 

 dered sufficiently productive to support a few families. 



I have convincing proofs that this part of the continent of South 

 America has been elevated near the coast at least from 400 to 

 500, and in some parts from 1000 to 1300 feat, since the epoch 

 of existing shells ; and further inland the rise possibly may have 



