11 



THE INCAS AND OTHER RULERS OF PERU, WITH SOME 



REMARKS ON THE POZO STONE. 



By Sir ROBERT HARVEY, A.M.I.C E., M.I.M.E., &c.. &c. 



The fact of my having been fortunat(^ly able to present what 

 is called the " Pozo do Almonte Stone" to our museum has, in 

 almost a natural way, led up to my now offering; you a few 

 remarks on the ancient people who carved that stone, and on their 

 far more interesting rulers who held sway not only around Pozo 

 de Almonte, but for two thousand miles north and two thousand 

 miles south of that spot. In fact the Pozo Stone forms a not 

 inappropriate text for my remarks. 



The Pozo Stone, as you are aware, is a somewhat bulky mass 

 of limestone, covered with strange engravings which, like the 

 ancient rock carvings to be seen among the Italian Maritime 

 Alj)s, appear to have been executed by tapping with a flint point 

 or hatchet on a relatively smooth stone surface. 



For several years prior to my return from South America, I 

 was aware of the existence in a valley some 30 miles inland from 

 the port of Iquique of several picture-stones, the origin and 

 meaning of which no one could tell. 



The valley to which I refer lies among the hills which form 

 the western boundary of the great rainless plain of Tamarugal 

 in the province of Tarapaca, and in about 20^ 15', south latitude, 

 and in longitude 70° 15' west. 



The main line of the Nitrate Railways from Icjuique to 

 Pisagua runs along the eastern slope of the valley, a few hundred 

 yards distant from and considerably higher than the site of the 

 picture- stones, or what teas their site ; for I regret to say that my 

 friend the late General Manager of the railway, through what I 

 can only call culpable negligence, allowed all or nearly all the 

 stones to be broken uj) and burnt for lime by his workmen. 



Happily before this iconoclastic outburst I had determined 

 to obtain one of the stones for the Truro Museum, and so, in the 

 year 1884, by means of tackles, rollers and inclined plane, and 



