578 ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES IN ARGENTINA AND BOLIVIA. 



]:)anions, 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 were also found. 

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

 of sacrifice. Owing 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 6,000 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 which are thrown up by every passer-by ; the other is in the 

 form of a kind of miniature house, in which chcAved cocoa is 

 offered up. 



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

 of A^ery considerable extent. The slope forming the eastern Avail of 

 the valley was dotted over with the foundation walls of huts of a 

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

 were none. In digging up a mound on the w^estern side I found 

 numerous graves; consequently that side had been reserved for the 

 dead. 



The grave mound is about 13 meters high and 36 meters in 

 diameter. The graves may have been originally 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 considerabh^ ; I could judge that that was so by the 

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

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

 too, are deformed. Many objects were here found in the graves. It 

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

 the fruit of the Jvghms avstralis, Avere met AA'ith. A specimen of the 

 same description Avas also found, as I haA'e aboA'e pointed out, in the 

 grave of a child at Casabindo. Clay vessels of different types were 

 A'ery 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 deserA^e a sj^ecial mention, as a sort of Avooden 

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

 possibly as kniA^es in battle. The Avood in them is particularly heaA^y 

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

 instruments of Avood, one of Avhich is shown in plate ix, figure 4, were 

 often found. As to the use they Avere put to, hoAvever, I do not ven- 

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

 ment Avitli Avooden handle. Implements of that kind, but lacking 



