INVESTIGATIONS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 57 



The inhabitants of Pucara were celebrating the Kovena, that is, the eight days 

 preceding the feast of the patron of the churcli. As the name of the viihige 

 designates, there were on the other side of the river, on the top of the liill opposite 

 the village, ruins of ancient walls, named Pirca. In the vicinity of Querocotillo, 

 wliich I reached that evening, were seen on the side of the road many regularly 

 hewed stones, undoubtedly the material of ancient buildings. Very interesting 

 ruins were visited near Whuambos (Germ, spell.). On the top of an isolated rock 

 were ruined walls still of a considerable height, reminding one very much of the 

 ruins of a feudal castle in Europe. In the bottom of the rock were two entrances 

 cut, but they were blocked up by the debris of the ruined walls. Near one of these 

 entrances was a seat cut in the rock for the accommodation of a sentinel. 



The owner of the hacienda Molle Bamba informed me after I had passed it, that 

 walls several feet high, remains of structures of considerable extent, were found 

 there. 



While in Chota an eclipse of the moon took place. This caused the people in 

 the suburbs and surrounding country to shout, and to excite the dogs to barking, 

 the fowls to cackling, and the roosters to crowing, in order to drive away the dark- 

 ness and awake the moon. 



The owner of the hacienda Yanacancha, Avhere I slept one night after having 

 passed the celebrated silver mines of Whualgayoc, informed me of the existence 

 of many ancient graves there which contain olijects of gold. He assured me that 

 his father, who opened several of these graves, realized 15,000 light dollars from 

 the sale of the gold articles found. They were of exquisite workmanship, and 

 some of them resembled woven gloves. 



In Casaxmalca (casax, "frost, ice"; and maica or marca, "the upper part of an 

 edifice"), erroneously spelled and pronounced Caxamarca, very little is seen of the 

 ancient city, its edifices having been destroyed and the material used for erecting 

 convents and churches. The best preserved structure is the reservoir, a few miles 

 distant, which served as a bath to the Incas, the spring being warm. On a hill 

 close to the city is a seat cut out of a rock in the shape of the double chair which 

 is at present called tete-a-ttte, showing that this form of seat is not of modern 

 invention. 



Before getting to Chuxsin, where I was hospitably invited to pass the night, a 

 bed of mattress, blankets, and clean sheets being prepared for me, I passed the 

 inclined plane of Yamobamba, on which I observed many ruined walls of extensive 

 structures in such number as to warrant the assumption of an ancient city. Arriving 

 in the town of San Marcos, I was obliged to remain there some days on account 

 of the celebration of the feast of the patron of the town. This gave me occasion 

 to witness some cock-fights and bull-fights, whicli formed the climax of the feast. 

 In the forenoon the men attended the cock-fights, and in the afternoon tlie bull- 

 fights took place. Both of them were cruel and pitiable entertainments. The 

 cocks were armed with gafHes three inches long and extremely sharp. These 

 fights took place in the square of the town, the avenues leading to which being 

 fenced in so as to be closed during the bull-fight, and open tJie rest of the day. 

 Before the bull is let into the ring he is decorated with colored paper and cloth, 



8 October, 1878. 



