was with regret that we found he 

 was reheved from chtty at Macliu 

 Picchu in Septeniher. 



AN IDKAI. PLACE OF KKFUGK 



Ahhough it is too early to speak 

 definitely in regard to the civiliza- 

 tion of JMachu i'icchu. a short de- 

 scription of the principal character- 

 istics of the city may not be out 

 of place. 



Alachu Picchu is essentially a city 

 of refuge. It is perched on a moun- 

 tain top in the most inaccessible 

 corner of the most inaccessible sec- 

 tion of the Urubamba River. So 

 far as I know, there is no part of 

 the Andes that has been better de- 

 fended by nature. 



A stupendous canon, where the 

 principal rock is granite and where 

 the precipices are frequently oxer 

 I, OCX) feet sheer, presents difficul- 

 ties of attack and facilities for de- 

 fense second to none. Here on a 

 narrow ridge, flanked on all sides 

 by precipitous or nearly precipitous 

 slopes, a highly civilized people — - 

 artistic, inventive, and capable of 

 sustained endeavor — at some time 

 in the remote past built themselves 

 a city of refuge (pp. 436, 437). 



Since they had no iron or steel 

 tools — only stone hammers — its 

 construction must have cost many 

 generations, if not centuries, of 

 eflfort. 



Across the ridge, and defending 

 the builders from attack on the side 

 of the main mountain range, they con- 

 structed two walls. One of them, con- 

 stituting the outer line of defense, leads 

 from precipice to precipice, utilizing as 

 best it can the natural steepness of the 

 hill (see pages 438 and 439). 



Beyond this, and on top of the moun- 

 tain called Alachu Picchu, which over- 

 looks the valley from the very summit of 

 one of the most stupendous precipices in 

 the canon, is constructed a signal station, 

 from which the approach of an enemy 

 could be instantly communicated to the 

 city below. Within the outer wall they 

 constructed an extensive series of agri- 

 cultural terraces, stone lined and aver- 

 aging about 8 feet high. Between these 

 and the city is a steep, dry moat and the 

 inner wall (see pages 441, 442. 444, 450). 



Phuto liy Iliiain Bingham 



A DECORATED GABLE: MACHU PICCHU 



A slightly different view of the gable end of one 

 of the better houses, bringing out the location and 

 size of the projecting cylindrical blocks. 



When the members of an attacking 

 force had safely negotiated the precipi- 

 tous and easily defended sides of the 

 moat, they would still find themselves 

 outside the inner defenses of the city, 

 which consisted of a wall from 15 to 20 

 feet high, composed of the largest stones 

 that could be found in the vicinity — 

 many of them huge boulders weighing 

 many tons. This wall is carried straight 

 across the ridge from one precipitous 

 side to the other. These defenses are on 

 the south side of the city (pp. 445-447). 



THE TOWN WAS IXXTLN'ERABI.E 



On the north side, on the narrow 

 ridge connecting the city with Huayna 

 Picchu, strong defensive terraces have 

 been strategically placed so as to render 



453 



