28o Field Columbian MuseuiM — Anthropology, Vol. II. 



graves were not made by the people on the mainland, who resorted 

 to the island for ceremonial purposes and who practiced rites involving 

 great fires for many generations, but rather by some stray party from 

 the conquering bands of Inca warriors, who, previous to the Spanish 

 conquest of South America, had extended their operations north of 

 Peru. During these operations the Quichuas, as is well known, made 

 excursions to the coast of Ecuador and at the time of its occupancy by 

 the Spanish they practically controlled the banks of the Guayaquil river 

 to the ocean. That parties of the Quichuas also descended to the coast 

 further north in Ecuador is entirely probable. 



That the time expended in excavation on the island was quite 

 inadequate to exhaust the possibilities of archaeological discovery 

 there is no doubt, and it is greatly to be desired that some investiga- 

 tor may take up the work of solving some of the interesting problems 

 herewith presented. For such investigation, I believe, interesting 

 results would be the reward. 



