578 AECHEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES IN ARGENTINA AND BOLIVIA. 



panions, Herr Von Hofsten and Doctor Fries, found remains of two 

 carefully constructed i — i-shaped cromlechs, partially covered over 

 with snow. Within the compass of one of the cromlechs there were 

 found a cylindrical bead of blue mineral as hard as glass, and some 

 splinters of pottery of the same appearance as those common in the 

 dwelling places in the Puna. Pieces of cactus wood w^ere also found. 

 It is uncertain whether there was a signaling station here or a place 

 of sacrifice. Ow-ing to the rarefaction of the air, my two peons were 

 unable to proceed to the top. I pushed on alone to the top of one 

 of the peaks, where I took photographs at a height above the sea of 

 about 0,000 meters. Plate v, figures 1 and 2, represent species of 

 sacrificial erections in use among the Puna Indians at the present 

 day; the first is dedicated to the goddess Pachamama, and is formed 

 of stone wdiich are thrown up by every passer-by ; the other is in the 

 form of a kind of miniature house, in wdiich chewed cocoa is 

 offered np. 



In Quebrada del Toro I visited at Ojo de Agua a dwelling place 

 of very considerable extent. The slope forming the eastern wall of 

 the valley was dotted over w'ith the foundation w^alls of huts of a 

 rectangular shape; on the Avestern slope, on the other hand, there 

 W'Cre none. In digging up a mound on the western side I found 

 numerous graves; consequently that side had l)een reserved for the 

 dead. 



The grave mound is about 1?> meters high and 3() meters in 

 diameter. The graves may have been oi'iginally marked above the 

 surface of the earth by circles of small stones. I found traces of them 

 at the top of the mound. The mound had evidently, in the process 

 of time, sunk considerably; I could judge that that Avas so by the 

 skeletons and objects buried there being found in all sorts of posi- 

 tions. Professor Eetzius informs me that the heads from this locality, 

 too, are deformed. Many objects w^ere here found in the graves. It 

 is worthy of remark that in almost every grave rattles, consisting of 

 the fruit of the Jvghvns ausf rails, were met wnth. A specimen of the 

 same description was also found, as I have above pointed out, in the 

 grave of a child at Casal)indo. Clay vessels of different types were 

 very common. In addition to a number of other objects resembling 

 those found in the graves at Casabindo I also came upon some imple- 

 ments here which deserve a special mention, as a sort of wooden 

 knives of different sizes, the greater ones (pi. ix, figs. 1, 2) used 

 possibly as knives in battle. The wood in them is particularly heavy 

 and hard, and was undoubtedly brought from Chaco. Some comblike 

 instruments of wood, one of which is shown in plate ix, figure 4, were 

 often found. As to the use they were put to, however, I do not ven- 

 ture even upon a guess. Plate ix, figure 5, shows a copper imple- 

 ment w^ith wooden handle. Implements of that kind, but lacking 



