480 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



CHAPTER II. 



TABLE LANDS AND PLATEAUS OF THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



Influence of Elevation upon Climate. — The Puna of Peru: Squier's Description of the Puna — 

 The Soroche or Veta — View from La Portada — Effects of the Soroche — The Sarumpe 

 — The Veruga Water — Efiects of the Veta on Animals — Vegetation of the Puna — The 

 Llama — The Huanacu — The Alpaca — The Vicuna — Hunting the Vicuna — The Hunts of 

 the Ancient Incas — Enemies of the Vicuna — Other Native Animals — The Ox, Horse, Mule 

 and Sheep — Waterfowl — Warm Valleys — Rapid Change of Climate According to Eleva- 

 tion. — Lake Titicaca: The Sacred Island of Titicaca — Manco Capac, the First Inca — His 

 Journey from Lake Titicaca to Cuzco — Fact and Myth respecting Manco Capac — Extent 

 of the Inca Empire — Inca Civilization originated in the Puna, near Lake Titicaca — The 

 Sacred Rock on the Island — Ruins and Relics on the Island — The Hacienda on the Island 

 —The Eve of St. John— Tiie Bath of the Incas— Other Sacred Islands— Ruins at Tihu- 

 anico — Some more ancient than the Incas — Immense Monolithic Gateways and Hewn 

 Stones — Inca Civilization — The Great Military Roads — System of Posts and Post-Stations. — 

 The Valley of Quito: Approach to the Valley from the Pacific Coast — A Tropical Region — 

 Chmbing the Cordillera — Scenes by the Way — Quito — Climate of the Valley — Astronomical 

 Site — Trees, Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers — Animals — Birds — Insects, Reptiles, and 

 Fish — The Population of the Valley — Lidians — Half-Breeds — Whites — Courtesy of the 

 People — A Polite Message — Scenery of the Valley — Volcanoes— Imbabura — Destruction 

 of Otovalo — Cayamba — Guamani — Antisana — Sincholagua — Cotopaxi — The Inca's Head — 

 Tunguragua — Altar — Sangai — Its Perpetual Eruption — Chimborazo — Caraguarizo — lUinza 

 — Corazon — Pichincha — Its immense Crater — Descent into the Crater — Eruptions of 

 Pichincha. — The Table-Land of Bogota : Voyage up the Magdalena — Ascent to the Plateau 

 — ^Bogoti and the "Bogotanos — Traveling at Bogota. — Table-Land of Mexico : Its Extent — 

 The Tierra Calienta— The Tierra Templada— The Tierra Fria— The Valley of Anahuac— 

 The Volcanoes of Orizaba, Popocatapetl, Iztacihuatl, and Toluca. — The Sikkim Slope: 

 Approach and Ascent — Dorjiling — The Sikkim Peaks — Altitude of Ivinchin-junga — Flight 

 of the Condor. 



'TT'T'ITHIN the geographical limits of the Tropical World is found every variety 

 VV of climate upon the globe. There are great mountain ranges which even at 

 the equator rise above the limits of perpetual snow. Their summits, untrodden by 

 man and unvisited by any other form of animal life, must be more desolate than the 

 extremest polar regions to which explorers have been able to penetrate. Of living 

 creatures the strong-winged condor only has reached so high. Then, below these, 

 yet rising far into the air, are broad plateaus whose desolate character reminds one of 

 the tundras of Siberia and the wastes stretching across the American continent from 

 Hudson's Bay to Behring's Straits. 



One of the most notable of these lofty tropical plateaus is that extending between 

 the parallel mountain chains of the Cordilleras in South America. It is known as the 

 Puna or Altos of Peru. In the popular language of the region a part of it is called 



