PLATEAU OF CAXAMARCA. 431 



Manco Capac, similarly crowned, but who afterwards rebelled again. 

 Atahuallpa left indeed a son, whose Christian name was Don Fran- 

 cisco (but who died very young), and a daughter, Dona Angelina, 

 by whom Francisco Pizarro (with whom she led a wild and warlike 

 life) had a son whom he loved fondly, grandchild of the slaughtered 

 monarch. Besides the family of the Cacique Astorpilco, with whom 

 I was acquainted at Caxamarca, the Carguraicos and Titu Busca- 

 inayta were pointed out at the period of my visit as belonging to the 

 Inca dynasty; but the Buscamayta family has since become extinct. 



The son of the Cacique Astorpilco, a pleasing and friendly youth 

 of seventeen, who accompanied me over the ruins of the palace of 

 his ancestor, while living in extreme poverty, had filled his imagina- 

 tion with images of buried splendor and golden treasures hidden 

 beneath the masses of rubbish upon which we trod. He related to 

 me, that one of his more immediate forefathers had bound his wife's 

 eyes, and then conducted her through many labyrinths cut in the 

 rock into the subterranean garden of the Incas. There she saw, 

 skilfully and elaborately imitated, and' formed of the purest gold, 

 artificial trees, with leaves and fruit, and birds sitting on the 

 branches ; and there too was the much sought for golden travelling 

 chair (una de las andas) of Atahuallpa. The man commanded his 

 wife not to touch any of these enchanted riches, because the long 

 foretold period of the restoration of the empire had not yet arrived, 

 and that whoever should attempt, before that time, to appropriate 

 aught of them would die that very night. These golden dreams and 

 fancies of the youth were founded on recollections and traditions of 

 former days. These artificial " golden gardens" (Jardines o Huertas 

 de oro) were often described by actual eye-witnesses, Cieza de Leon 

 Sarmiento, Garcilasso, and other early historians of the Conquest. 

 They were found beneath the Temple of the Sun at Cuzco, in Caxa- 

 marca, and in the pleasant Valley of Yucay, a favorite residence of 

 the monarch's family. Where the golden Huertas were not below 

 ground, living plants grew by the side of the artificial ones : among 

 the latter, tall plants and ears of maize (mazorcas) are mentioned as 

 particularly well executed. 



The morbid confidence with which the young Astorpilco assured 

 me that below our feet, a little to the right of the spot on which I 



