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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



CONCLUSIONS re;ache;d f-rom the meas- 



UREMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS. 



At Huadquina the Indians were or- 

 dered to a room to be measured. One 

 subject objected strenuously and made it 

 as difficult as he could for any measure- 

 ments to be taken. He would not stand 

 straight, nor sit straight, nor assume any 

 position correctly. Finally, when the 

 measurements were all taken, he was 

 offered the usual medio for his trouble. 

 This small coin, with which one could 

 purchase a large drink of native beer, 

 was usually gratefully accepted as a quid 

 pro quo, but in this case the Indian de- 

 cided he had been grievously insulted, 

 and he threw the coin violently to the 

 ground and strode off in high dudgeon. 



Remarkably few cranial deformations 

 were found, these being all slightly acro- 

 cephalic. The following facts were no- 

 ticed about the Indians : The leg and back 

 muscles are markedly developed, while 

 their arm muscles show very meager de- 

 velopment; their work consist .- largely of 

 carrying heavy loads upcii their backs 

 over mountain trails ; t'ne Indians do not 

 become bald, and their hair seldom loses 

 its pigment ; their teeth are also remark- 

 ably well preserved, except on the sugar 

 plantations, where they suck the sugar- 

 cane and eat coarse brown sugar {chan- 

 caca). 



An interesting custom which still pre- 

 vails was observed as being practiced 

 about two miles outside of Cuzco, as one 

 goes north toward the Urubamba Valley. 

 At a point in the road where one gets a 

 last look at the city the Indians have a 

 praying place. 



THE INDIAN PRAYING PIvACE ABOVE CUZCO 



I This road is one of the principal high- 

 ways in Peru, and hundreds of Indians 

 pass up and down going in and out of 

 Cuzco daily. The view of Cuzco lying 

 below in the green valley is truly a beauti- 

 ful one, but it is something more than a 

 sense of beauty that makes the Indians 

 stop, and, with uncovered heads, some 

 kneeling and some standing, offer a 

 prayer as they look toward their Mecca. 

 It is noticeable that those who are on 

 a journey going away from Cuzco pray 



for a longer time than those who are 

 approaching the city. Possibly they fear 

 the dangers of the roadside more than 

 those of the city streets. 



Another Indian custom which adds a 

 picturesque touch to the roadsides be- 

 tween Cuzco and Machu Picchu is the 

 presence of quaint signs indicating what 

 is for sale in the Indian huts. 



A small bunch of wheat or barley tied 

 on the end of a pole and stuck out in 

 front of the hut indicates that there is 

 cJiicha (a native corn beer) for sale 

 v/ithin. A bunch of flowers on the end 

 of a pole also has the same significance. 



A green Avreath means that there is 

 bread for sale, while a piece of white 

 cloth or white paper waving in the breeze 

 indicates that the wayfarer may here 

 purchase aguardiente, a powerful white 

 rum made of cane juice and containing 

 a large percentage of raw alcohol. 



It is sincerely to be regretted that more 

 Indians could not have been measured, 

 but as this work was entirely in charge 

 of the surgeon of the expedition, Dr. 

 L. T. Nelson, and as his first duty was to 

 attend to the health of the members of 

 the expedition, the anthropological meas- 

 urements had to take second place. The 

 exigencies of the work necessitated his 

 spending a large part of his time where 

 there was little opportunity for making 

 anthropological measurements. 



NO MEASUREMENTS PERMITTED IN 

 AREQUIPA 



In Arequipa he found that local senti- 

 ment prevented the government from as- 

 sisting him. Arequipeiios would resent 

 any action compelling an Indian to sub- 

 mit to measurements, even though the 

 subject were paid for his time. Further- 

 more, as practically the only pure-blooded 

 Indians now in Arequipa are transients 

 who come in for commercial purposes, 

 driving their llama trains loaded with 

 produce, the merchants of Arequipa 

 would resent anything which might in- 

 terfere with business. These difificulties 

 made it impossible to secure any meas- 

 urements in Arequipa. 



On the trip to Choqquequirau, where 

 the surgeon's presence was necessary. 



