ABORiaiNAI. SACRED ENCLOSURES. 145 



The accounts which we possess of the ancient rehgious structures of Peru, 

 although glowing with admiration of their splendor and riches, are yet extremely 

 vague as respects their plan of construction. Enough, however, is easily gathered 

 to assure us that they consisted of large consecrated courts or areas, like those of 

 Mexico, in which the temples proper were situated, together with fountains, gardens, 

 and the residences of the priests. 



The great Temple of the Sun at Cuzco, in the description of which the early 

 Spaniards have expended every superlative of their language, consisted of a prin- 

 cipal building and several chapels and inferior edifices, covering a large extent of 

 ground, in the heart of the city, and completely encompassed by a circular wall, 

 which, with the edifices, was constructed of stone. Aqueducts opened within this 

 sacred enclosure ; and within it were gardens, and walks among shrubs and flowers 

 of gold and silver, made in imitation of the productions of nature. It was attended 

 by four thousand priests. " The ground," says La Vega, " for two hundred paces 

 around the temple was considered holy, and no one was allowed to pass within 

 this boundary but with naked feet." Nor even under these restrictions were any 

 permitted to enter, except of the blood of the Incas, in whom were centred the 

 priestly and civil functions of the government. 



Besides the great Temple of the Sun, there was a large number of inferior 

 temples in Cuzco, estimated by Herrara at three hundred. Numerous other 

 temples are scattered over the empire, all of which seem to have corresponded 

 very nearly in structure with that already described. The most celebrated temple 

 in Peru, next to that of Cuzco, was situated on an island in Lake Titicaca, where 

 it was believed Manco Capac first made his appearance on earth. The whole 

 surface of the island was considered sacred. The Temple of Pachacamac is 

 described as being enclosed by walls, and to have " more resembled a fortress than 

 a temple." According to Roman, " the temples of Peru were built upon high 

 grounds or the tops of hills, and were surrounded by four circular embankments of 

 earth, one within the other. The temple stood in the centre of the enclosed area, 

 and was quadrangular in form." 



A structure, corresponding very nearly with this description, is noticed by Hum- 

 boldt, who denominates it, in accordance with local traditions, Ingapilca, " House 

 of the Incas," and supposes it to have been a sort of fortified lodging-place of the 

 Incas, in their journeys from one part of the empire to the other. It is situated 

 at Cannar, and occupies the summit of a hill. The " citadel " is a very regular 

 oval, the greatest axis of which is 125 feet, and consists of a wall, built of large 

 blocks of stone, rising to the height of sixteen feet. Within this oval is a square 

 edifice, containing but two rooms, which resembles the ordinary stone dwellings of 

 the present day. Surrounding these is a much larger circular enclosure, which, 

 from the description and plate, we infer is not far from five hundred feet in diame- 

 ter. This series of works possesses few military features, and it seems most likely 

 that it was a temple of the sun. This opinion is confirmed by the fact that, at the 

 base of the hill of Cannar was formerly a famous shrine of the Sun, consistmg of 

 the universal symbol of that luminary formed by nature upon the face of a great 

 rock. Humboldt himself admits an apparent dependence between this shrine and 

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