EUIXS OF CHULUCANAS. 245 



Between the Indian villages of Ajavaca and Guanca- 

 bamba the travellers found the ruins of the city of Chulu- 

 canas. These ruins were situated on a slope of the 

 Cordilleras, near the brink of a river, from w^hich they 

 were separated by a wall. Two openings in this wall 

 corresponded with the two principal streets of the city. 

 The houses, built of porphyry, were distributed into 

 eight quarters, formed by streets cutting each other at 

 right angles. In the centre of these quarters, each of 

 which contained twelve small habitations, were the 

 remains of four large buildings of an oblong form, sepa- 

 rated by four small square buildings, occupying the four 

 corners. The hill on which the city stood was divided 

 into six terraces, the platforms of which were faced with 

 hewn stone. On the right of the river which bounded 

 ■ the city, they discovered an uncouth structure, evidently 

 an ancient amphitheatre. 



The region of country in which they were now travel- 

 ling — a series of mountain wildernesses, was cold and 

 stormy. They were often for days in a dense mist, 

 or worse still, they endured the peltings of violent 

 showers of hail, which cut their faces and hands. The 

 vegetation had a peculiar character, from the absence of 

 trees, the short close branches of the small-leaved myrtle- 

 like shrubs, the large-sized and numerous blossoms, and 

 the perpetual freshness of the whole from the constant 

 and abundant supply of moisture. 



At various points in their journey they came upon the 

 remains of the old road of the Incas. The finest portions of 

 these roads were at Chulucanas, and in the neighbourhood 

 of Ingatambo, at Pomahuaca. It was nine thousand seven 

 hundred feet lower at the latter place than at Assuay. 



