PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT FIND AT 

 MACHU PICCHU 



It has been generally supposed that the an- 

 cient peoples of Peru did not know how to 

 manufacture bronze, but that all their bronze 

 was accidental. This picture shows a piece of 

 pure tin, which had apparently been rolled up 

 by the Incas or their predecessors like a sand- 

 wich. From it, it is supposed, slices were cut 

 when the artisan to whom it belonged needed 

 tin in the making of bronze. It is a strong 

 indication that the inhabitants of Machu Picchu 

 knew how to make bronze. Most of the bronze 

 utensils found in the city (see pages 171-184) 

 contained from 5 to 9 per cent of tin and 

 about 90 per cent of copper. 



A WONDERFUL COUNTRY IN WHICH TO 

 WORK 



Finally, from the artistic and esthetic 

 point of view, the magnificent scenery of 

 southern Peru makes a very powerful 

 appeal. The depth of the canyons, the 

 height of the unclimbed mountain peaks, 

 the numberless glaciers, the wide range 

 of tropical jungles on the eastern slopes 

 of the Andes, the magnificent roaring 

 rapids of the Apurimac and the Uru- 

 bamba, which go to feed the mighty 

 Amazon, and the many vivid colors of 

 the tropics — all add to the delight and 

 enthusiasm of the explorer whose good 

 fortune it is to work in this region. 



They help him to forget the fevers and 

 insect pests of the lowlands ; the vampire 

 bats of the middle valleys ; the bitter cold 

 of the nights in the uplands ; the disagree- 

 able features of mountain sickness ; the 

 physical discomforts of working at great 

 elevations, and the lonesomeness of long 

 separations from home and kindred. 



Taking everything into consideration, 

 I consider myself most fortunate in be- 

 ing enabled, through the interest and 

 generosity of the National Geographic 

 Society and of friends of Yale Univer- 

 sity, to conduct Another expedition in this 

 fascinating region. 



e -' ^^-xm^SSMT" ^ "- 





Photo by Albeit H. I'.uiiistcad 

 THE FIRST WIRELESS STATION OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY-YALE UNI- 

 VERSITY EXPEDITION, ELEVATION ABOUT I3,O0O FEET ABOVE THE SEA (p. 208) 



216 



