﻿246 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  cause 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  preoccupation 
  with 
  precious 
  metals. 
  Only 
  a 
  

   very 
  early 
  description 
  of 
  Indian 
  mining 
  could 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  represent 
  

   aboriginal 
  conditions. 
  Fortunately, 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  1534, 
  

   based 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  Spanish 
  visits 
  to 
  the 
  region 
  around 
  La 
  Paz 
  in 
  Bolivia. 
  

   Although 
  the 
  account 
  refers 
  specifically 
  to 
  gold 
  mining 
  in 
  Aymara 
  

   territory, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  to 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  Inca 
  as 
  well, 
  except 
  that 
  

   mining 
  was 
  much 
  less 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  Cuzco 
  region 
  than 
  south 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  Titicaca. 
  

  

  The 
  technique 
  of 
  mining 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  Handbook, 
  Vol- 
  

   ume 
  5, 
  under 
  Metallurgy. 
  

  

  The 
  mines 
  were 
  worked 
  only 
  4 
  months 
  a 
  year, 
  from 
  noon 
  to 
  sunset 
  

   each 
  day, 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  overtax 
  the 
  miners 
  and 
  to 
  take 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  

   warmest 
  weather. 
  All 
  the 
  gold 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  government, 
  which 
  

   kept 
  inspectors 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  mining 
  area 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  none 
  was 
  

   stolen. 
  The 
  miners 
  were 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  neighboring 
  provinces 
  in 
  

   groups 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  50 
  men, 
  obviously 
  mit'a 
  labor 
  service 
  (Sancho, 
  1917 
  b, 
  

   ch. 
  18). 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  mined 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  metals. 
  Copper 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  

   important, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  metal 
  in 
  general 
  use 
  among 
  the 
  taxpayers. 
  

   Gold 
  and 
  silver 
  were 
  reserved 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Emperor, 
  and 
  of 
  nobles 
  

   to 
  whom 
  the 
  privilege 
  was 
  expressly 
  granted. 
  Tin 
  was 
  mined 
  to 
  be 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  copper 
  in 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  bronze. 
  Platinum 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  

   parts 
  of 
  Ecuador 
  which 
  lay 
  within 
  the 
  Empire, 
  but 
  never 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  

   the 
  Andean 
  region. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  Quechua 
  word 
  for 
  iron 
  (*quellay), 
  but 
  

   it 
  probably 
  refers 
  to 
  meteoric 
  iron 
  or 
  to 
  heavy 
  metallic 
  ores 
  like 
  

   hematite, 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  Inca 
  knew 
  how 
  to 
  smelt 
  iron 
  

   and 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  pure 
  in 
  the 
  ground. 
  Lead 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  inlay 
  

   wood. 
  

  

  The 
  hills 
  where 
  ore 
  deposits 
  were 
  found 
  and 
  the 
  mines 
  themselves 
  

   were 
  both 
  regarded 
  as 
  huacas 
  (shrines), 
  and 
  the 
  Indians 
  prayed 
  to 
  

   them 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  their 
  metal. 
  Festivals 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  their 
  honor 
  at 
  

   which 
  the 
  miners 
  danced 
  and 
  drank 
  chicha 
  all 
  night. 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  11.) 
  

  

  More 
  different 
  technical 
  processes 
  for 
  treating 
  metal 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  Andean 
  region 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  America, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  

   them 
  were 
  known 
  at 
  Cuzco. 
  The 
  processes 
  represented 
  by 
  objects 
  

   from 
  Late 
  Inca 
  sites 
  or 
  done 
  in 
  obviously 
  Inca 
  style 
  include: 
  Smelting, 
  

   alloying, 
  casting, 
  hammering, 
  repousse, 
  incrustation, 
  inlay, 
  soldering, 
  

   riveting, 
  and 
  cloisonne\ 
  At 
  least 
  one 
  alloy, 
  bronze, 
  was 
  known. 
  It 
  

   contained 
  varying 
  percentages 
  of 
  tin. 
  

  

  The 
  technology 
  of 
  metallurgy 
  is 
  fully 
  discussed 
  in 
  the 
  Handbook, 
  

   Volume 
  5, 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  hammered 
  and 
  annealed 
  the 
  cutting 
  edges 
  of 
  knives, 
  axes, 
  

   and 
  chisels 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  maximum 
  hardness. 
  (Mathewson, 
  

   1915; 
  Mead, 
  1915; 
  Nordenskiold, 
  1921.) 
  Gold 
  and 
  silver 
  were 
  

  

  