i-'hoto by Hira .n Bingham 



THE FINEST STONEWORK AT RUMI CCOI.CA : CUZCO VALI^EY 



A detail of one side of the gateway at Rumi Ccolca, which shows stone blocks cut with 

 as much precision as the best work at Machu Picchu. The projecting nubbins left on these 

 rocks are an echo of similar marks left on the stone inside the priest's house near the Sacred 

 Plaza in Machu Picchu (see the picture on page 529). 



by the Sefiora Carmen Vargas, who in- 

 herited from her father about 1,000 

 square miles of land lying between the 

 Urubamba and Apurimac rivers. Some 

 of the land is occupied by sugar planta- 

 tions ; other parts are given over to the 

 raising of sheep and cattle, while a large 

 portion is still tropical jungle. Sefiora 

 Carmen has always received us most 

 hospitably and done everything in her 

 power to further our efforts. 



Her son-in-law, Don Tomas Alvistur, 

 an enthusiastic amateur archeologist, took 

 a considerable amount of interest in our 

 work and was quite delighted when he 

 discovered that some of the Indians on 

 the plantation knew of three localities 

 where there were Inca ruins, so they 

 said, that had not previously been visited 

 by white men. 



Don Tomas invited me to accompany 

 him on a visit to these three groups of 

 ruins, but when the time came to go he 

 found that business engagements made 

 it impossible for him to do more than 

 accompany me part of the way to the 

 first group. He went to the trouble, 



however, of securing three Indian guide; 

 and carriers and gave them orders to 

 carry my small outfit whenever it was 

 impossible for the pack-mule to be used 

 and to guide me safely to the three ruins 

 and home again. 



They did not greatly relish these or- 

 ders, but as they were all feudal tenants, 

 holding their land on condition of ren- 

 dering a certain amount of personal serv 

 ice every year in lieu of rent, they were 

 constrained to carry out the orders of 

 their overlord. 



After Don Tomas departed I was left 

 to the tender mercies of the Indians and 

 of my faithful muleteer, Luis. The In 

 dians had told us that one could visit all 

 three ruins and return the next day. This 

 information, however, did not prevent 

 me from putting in supplies for at least 

 a five days' journey, although I little 

 anticipated what was actually going t 

 happen. 



The end of the first day's journej 

 found us on top of a ridge about 5,oo( 

 feet above the place where we ha( 

 started, in the midst of a number o 



530 



