Photu by iiiiaiu Bingham 



THE OTHER IMPORTANT CARVED ROCK AT COXCACHA ( SEE PAGE 536) 



Called Piedra Labrada, which is simply the Spanish for "carved rock." It was once one 

 of the most extraordinan^ monoliths in South America. But within the past forty years it 

 has been terribly mutilated. Remains of the animals and strange figures are still to be seen, 

 but most of the heads have been destroyed either through superstition or caprice. Its present 

 state is a glaring example of the necessity for preserving the ancient ruins of Peru, and for 

 sending properly equipped expeditions to study these ancient sites before the historical evi- 

 dence they contain is lost owing to ignorance or greed. 



We had not gone more than half a mile 

 Ijefore an abrupt ascent in the trail ind 

 a huge sloping rock barred the way for 

 the mules for over half an hour. This 

 •difficulty being surmounted, we went on 

 for another mile, only to find our way 

 crossed by a huge avalanche of gigantic 

 granite boulders and glacial drift, which 

 liad come down from the slopes of Mount 

 Salcantay during the past year. A couple 

 of hours were spent in negotiating the 

 trail across this landslide. 



We then found ourselves near the 

 ruins of a village. Judging by the primi- 

 tive appearance of the ruins, it could not 

 liave been a place of much importance 



and it is impossible to say whether it had 

 upied since the Spanish connuest 



and it IS mipossible to say whether it had 

 been occupied since the Spanish conquest 

 or not. 



THE DISCOVERY OF TEN M.\GNIFICENT 

 GLACIERS 



Climbing up the valley beyond this 

 ruined village and turning a corner, we 

 came into full view of 10 magnificent 

 glaciers — eight of them in a cirque in 

 front of us and two on the slopes of 

 Salcantay behind us. As the guide was 

 very well informed as to the names of 

 diflferent parts of the valley and could 

 give names for most of the peaks but 

 none for any for the glaciers, I have 

 named these as follows (pp. 560, 563-5 ) : 



539 



