A Glimpse into the Quichua Country 

 of Southern Bolivia 



By L E () E. MILLER 



Le!i<li'i- of tlie Amciii-Mii Museum's Smitli Aiiu-ricau P^xiteflitinn, 11115 lltHi 



THE boundaries of the Inean 

 Empire had gradually been 

 extended until within five 

 hundred years after the arrival of 

 Maneo Capac and 

 Mama Occlo, sup- 

 posed Children of 

 the Sun, it cov- 

 ered nearly one 

 third of the Soutli 

 American conti- 

 nent. Near the 

 middle of the six- 

 teenth century, 

 when Pizarro and 

 his insatiable 

 band invaded the 

 sacred precincts 

 of Atahualpa's do- 

 minion, the star 

 of the Inca 

 seemed to have 

 reached the apex 

 of its ascendancy. 

 Under the benefi- 

 cent rule of their 

 venerated sover- 

 eign, the several 

 tribes lived con- 

 tentedl}', if not 

 always peace- 

 fully ; agriculture 

 thrived ; arts and 

 crafts were en- 

 couraged ; and, 



responsive to the efforts of many thou- 

 sands of laborers, numerous mines 

 poured a constant stream of precious 

 metals into the kingdom, adding to its 

 wealth and splendor. 



(^uicliu.as of tlie large towns, who have come 

 into contact with the Bolivians, no longer wear 

 the original native costume (see page 412) . Their 

 highly varnished straw hats, for instance, are a 

 radii-al change from the skin headgear of the 

 highlands. They have not, however, lost their 

 habits of thrift, and trudge along the roads spin- 

 ning industrioiifly 



We are all familiar with accounts of 

 the advanced state of civilization, gov- 

 ernmental organization, and fabulous 

 riches of the ancient nation. Temples, 

 palaces, and forts 

 — stately edifices 

 of hewn stone — 

 dotted the moun- 

 tain-sides and 

 crowned the emi- 

 nences ; beauti- 

 fully constructed 

 highways con- 

 nected many of 

 the remote dis- 

 tricts with the 

 capital ; countless 

 lierds of llamas 

 fed on the slopes, 

 and streams of 

 water, flowing 

 through a system 

 of aqueducts, 



poured into the 

 heretofore arid 

 wastes, and trans- 

 formed them into 

 fruitful fields ca- 

 pable of support- 

 ing a numerous 

 population. The 

 present-day re- 

 publics of Ecua- 

 dor, Peru, and 

 Bolivia, as well as 

 a part of Colomliia and C'liile, were in- 

 cluded within tbc limits of the vast 

 empire. 



Suddenly a dark clnud appeared on 

 tlie horizon and omens of evil import 



407 



