in South America. 73 



how such laminated rings were produced, considering the 

 deficiency of suitable implements for such delicate and exact 

 work. There are several of these tombs above ground still 

 to be seen. 



The excavated tombs, as found in our times, are all alike 

 throughout South America. The Spanish conquerors having 

 entered the territory of " la Capitania de la Neuva Granada/' 

 and collected all the gold they could among the Indians, 

 turned their attention to the natural sources of gold, and also 

 to the burial places, which soon became objects of much 

 interest to the gold-seekers. These tombs are always found 

 on some isolated range with sharp outlines, so situated as not 

 to admit of any water accumulating, and no apparent proba- 

 bility of water being led to it. In hills so situated the exca- 

 vations are discovered by observing certain concavities on 

 the surface ; but where a thick forest exists, with a dense 

 undergrowth, often of several feet, it is necessary to clear 

 the ground by fire. It is generally allowed that a long period 

 has elapsed since these tombs were closed, as by the accounts 

 of the Mexicans and Peruvians, given at the time of the 

 conquest, their calculations amounted to about two thousand 

 years. The excavation is circular and perpendicular, and 

 three or four feet in diameter, dug out of the decom- 

 posed syenitic rock. At the depth of nine to eleven feet 

 charcoal is found among the soil, under which a flat stone 

 (some kind of slate) covers the pit, on removing which, the 

 edge of a perpendicular slab is observed. At about four 

 feet deeper the bottom of the tomb is reached, and on the 

 perpendicular slab being removed, a horizontal excavation is 

 seen towards the east. This is about four feet in height and 

 the same in width, but somewhat more in length. Here the 

 bones of the defunct are found, the body having been placed 

 in a sitting posture, with the face towards the east, that is 

 towards tlie rising sun, regarded as the "King of the 

 Heavens." The bones are generally found in such a decayed 

 state that they will not admit of being handled. The earth, 

 which has more or less fallen in and mingled with the remains, 

 is gathered and brought under the washing process, and the 

 trinkets thus obtained are partly of gold, with its natural 

 alloy (silver), and partly gold with copper. On one side of the 

 remains a large earthenware vessel is found, covered with a 

 piece of slate, and in some instances a sediment has been 

 found deposited from the drink, the Indian "chicha," left 

 with the deceased. On the opposite side, perfectly decayed, 



