PLATEAU OF CAXAMARCA. 287 



of the town was originally Cassamarca or Kazamarca, i. e. 

 the Frost town ; (marca, as signifying a place or locality, 

 belongs to the northern Chinchaysuyo or Chinchaysuyu dia- 

 lect, while the word in the general Quichua language 

 signifies the stories of houses, and also defences or forts). 

 Our way lay for five or six hours over a succession of 

 Paramos, where we were exposed almost incessantly to the 

 fury of the wind and to the sharp-edged hail so peculiar to 

 the ridges of the Andes. The height of the route above the 

 level of the sea is generally between nine and ten thousand 

 feet (about 9600 and 10660 Eng.) It afforded me, however, 

 the opportunity of making a magnetic observation of general 

 interest; i. e. the determination of the point where the 

 North Inclination of the Needle passes into South Inclina- 

 tion, or where the traveller's route crosses the Magnetic 

 Equator. ( 12 ) 



On reaching at length the last of these mountain wilder- 

 nesses, the Paramo de Yanaguanga, the traveller looks down 

 with increased pleasure on the fertile valley of Caxamarca. 

 It affords a charming prospect : a small river winds through 

 the elevated plain, which is of an oval form and about six or 

 seven German geographical square miles in extent (96 or 

 112 English geographical square miles). The plain re- 

 sembles that of Bogota : both are probably the bottoms of 

 ancient lakes ; but at Caxamarca there is wanting the myth 

 of the wonder-working Botschica or Idacanzas, the high 

 priest of Iraca, who opened for the waters a passage 

 through the rock of Tequendama. Caxamarca is situated 

 600 (640 Eng.) feet higher than Santa Fe de Bogota, 



