﻿324 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  (*sikya). 
  The 
  fathom 
  was 
  the 
  standard 
  measurement 
  of 
  land, 
  and 
  a 
  

   measuring 
  stick 
  (cota-k'aspi) 
  of 
  this 
  length 
  was 
  kept 
  as 
  a 
  legal 
  check 
  

   (Gonzalez, 
  1608, 
  pp. 
  373, 
  127, 
  315, 
  326, 
  and 
  117). 
  

  

  Measures 
  of 
  traveling 
  distance 
  were 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  pace 
  (thatkiy), 
  

   which 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  convenient 
  unit 
  for 
  travelers 
  on 
  foot. 
  A 
  larger 
  

   unit 
  called 
  topo 
  ("measure") 
  was 
  used 
  along 
  the 
  Inca 
  roads, 
  some 
  of 
  

   which 
  had 
  a 
  "milestone" 
  at 
  every 
  topo. 
  The 
  topo 
  was 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  equal 
  to 
  1% 
  Spanish 
  leagues, 
  or 
  about 
  4%-miles. 
  (Cieza, 
  1880, 
  

   bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  15; 
  Polo, 
  1916 
  b, 
  pp. 
  103-104; 
  Acosta, 
  1940, 
  bk. 
  6, 
  ch. 
  17; 
  

   Calancha, 
  1638, 
  prologue; 
  Bertonio, 
  1879 
  b, 
  vocabulary.) 
  Mortia 
  

   says 
  that 
  a 
  topo 
  contained 
  6,000 
  paces 
  (1922-25, 
  bk. 
  3, 
  chs. 
  24, 
  29). 
  

   If 
  both 
  these 
  equivalents 
  are 
  approximately 
  correct, 
  the 
  Inca 
  pace 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  (1.3 
  m.), 
  counted 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  one 
  

   foot 
  was 
  put 
  down 
  until 
  the 
  same 
  foot 
  touched 
  the 
  ground 
  again 
  

   (that 
  is, 
  two 
  steps), 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  comfortable 
  walking 
  pace 
  for 
  a 
  man 
  

   of 
  medium 
  height. 
  The 
  chroniclers 
  sometimes 
  speak 
  of 
  "legua 
  de 
  

   indios" 
  or 
  "legua 
  de 
  aca" 
  when 
  they 
  mean 
  the 
  topo. 
  A 
  passage 
  in 
  

   Pachacuti 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  Inca 
  also 
  used 
  a 
  larger 
  unit 
  called 
  wamani 
  

   (30 
  topo) 
  in 
  calculating 
  road 
  distances 
  (1879, 
  p. 
  300). 
  

  

  Area 
  was 
  also 
  measured 
  by 
  the 
  topo, 
  but 
  its 
  size 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  is 
  much 
  

   less 
  certain. 
  Cobo 
  says 
  it 
  was 
  an 
  area 
  50 
  fathoms 
  long 
  (about 
  300 
  

   ft.) 
  and 
  25 
  fathoms 
  (about 
  150 
  ft.) 
  wide, 
  and 
  his 
  statement 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   precise 
  reference 
  to 
  its 
  size 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  locate 
  (1890-95, 
  

   14, 
  ch. 
  15). 
  Garcilaso 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  equaled 
  1% 
  Spanish 
  fanegas, 
  but 
  

   the 
  fanega 
  was 
  so 
  variable 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  establish 
  an 
  

   exact 
  equivalent 
  (1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  5, 
  ch. 
  3). 
  If 
  the 
  fanega 
  is 
  taken 
  at 
  

   its 
  modern 
  Spanish 
  value 
  of 
  about 
  1.59 
  acres, 
  Garcilaso's 
  topo 
  would 
  

   equal 
  nearly 
  2.4 
  acres, 
  and 
  Cobo's 
  only 
  0.8 
  acre. 
  Baudin 
  suggested 
  

   that 
  the 
  Inca 
  topo 
  of 
  area 
  was 
  simply 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   support 
  a 
  married 
  couple 
  without 
  children, 
  and 
  hence 
  varied 
  with 
  

   local 
  conditions 
  (Baudin, 
  1928, 
  p. 
  90), 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  probably 
  more 
  pre- 
  

   cise. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  Cobo 
  gives 
  exact 
  dimensions 
  for 
  it 
  in 
  fathoms, 
  

   which, 
  Gonzalez 
  states 
  explicitly, 
  was 
  the 
  public 
  land 
  measure 
  of 
  the 
  

   Inca. 
  In 
  the 
  second 
  place, 
  the 
  modern 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  topo 
  suggests 
  just 
  

   such 
  a 
  definition 
  as 
  Cobo 
  gives. 
  At 
  least 
  two 
  topos 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  use 
  

   in 
  Highland 
  Peru 
  today; 
  the 
  topo 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  an 
  area 
  88 
  by 
  44 
  varas 
  

   (44 
  by 
  22 
  fathoms 
  or 
  about 
  264 
  by 
  132 
  feet), 
  and 
  the 
  topo 
  of 
  Arequipa, 
  

   a 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  but 
  similarly 
  measured 
  area. 
  Jimenez 
  de 
  la 
  Espada 
  

   mentions 
  a 
  Colonial 
  topo 
  of 
  60 
  by 
  50 
  paces, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  give 
  his 
  

   source 
  (Cieza, 
  1880, 
  p. 
  53, 
  note 
  d). 
  Precisely 
  measured 
  units 
  of 
  land 
  

   area 
  are 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  Spanish 
  influence, 
  for 
  the 
  common 
  

   Spanish 
  unit 
  was 
  the 
  space 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  fanega 
  of 
  grain 
  (about 
  1.6 
  bushels) 
  

   could 
  be 
  sown! 
  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  evidence 
  favors 
  Cobo's 
  measure- 
  

   ments. 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  uses 
  of 
  the 
  topo 
  in 
  Andean 
  countries 
  is 
  

   much 
  to 
  be 
  desired. 
  

  

  