﻿440 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  towns 
  in 
  central 
  and 
  northern 
  Peril 
  are 
  seldom 
  permanently 
  inhabited 
  

   by 
  Indians. 
  

  

  The 
  center 
  of 
  town 
  activities 
  is 
  the 
  plaza, 
  a 
  stretch 
  of 
  pampa 
  in 
  

   the 
  nucleated 
  villages. 
  There 
  may 
  be 
  several 
  plazas 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  

   towns 
  into 
  which 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  narrow, 
  winding 
  streets 
  leads. 
  Houses 
  

   and 
  house 
  compounds, 
  usually 
  of 
  sod 
  blocks, 
  line 
  the 
  street 
  on 
  both 
  

   sides. 
  The 
  typical 
  plaza 
  varies 
  little 
  from 
  the 
  Colonial 
  pattern: 
  

   on 
  one 
  side 
  stands 
  the 
  church 
  and 
  vicarage 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  the 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  offices, 
  municipal, 
  district, 
  or 
  prefectural. 
  Between 
  them 
  are 
  

   Mestizo 
  residences, 
  general 
  stores, 
  and 
  taverns 
  where 
  chicha 
  and 
  

   aguardiente 
  are 
  sold. 
  On 
  Sundays, 
  or 
  on 
  fiesta 
  days, 
  the 
  plaza 
  is 
  

   crowded 
  with 
  the 
  market 
  throng, 
  spectators 
  and 
  worshipers. 
  On 
  

   special 
  occasions, 
  the 
  plaza 
  is 
  roped 
  in 
  for 
  bullfights. 
  The 
  pampa 
  

   or 
  plaza 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  also 
  has 
  its 
  church, 
  but 
  little 
  community 
  life 
  

   is 
  centered 
  around 
  it. 
  

  

  Houses. 
  — 
  The 
  most 
  common 
  house 
  construction 
  is 
  rectangular 
  or 
  

   nearly 
  square 
  in 
  form, 
  with 
  a 
  gabled 
  roof 
  (pi. 
  96, 
  top, 
  left). 
  Trape- 
  

   zoidal 
  roofs 
  are 
  also 
  found. 
  Most 
  families 
  build 
  their 
  houses 
  in 
  

   compounds 
  enclosing 
  a 
  little 
  patio. 
  The 
  main 
  room 
  constitutes 
  

   the 
  living 
  quarters 
  for 
  the 
  family 
  nucleus. 
  Other 
  rooms 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  

   for 
  storehouses 
  or 
  for 
  living 
  quarters 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  branches 
  of 
  

   the 
  family. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  rooms 
  vary 
  but 
  are 
  generally 
  

   small. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  partitions 
  within 
  the 
  houses, 
  each 
  house 
  being 
  

   a 
  single 
  room, 
  windowless, 
  with 
  floors 
  of 
  pounded 
  earth. 
  Kitchens 
  

   are 
  little 
  houses 
  standing 
  apart 
  or 
  built 
  against 
  the 
  main 
  house. 
  

  

  In 
  Kauri, 
  a 
  new 
  house 
  is 
  constructed 
  for 
  each 
  married 
  couple 
  

   unless 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  accommodated 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  rooms 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  com- 
  

   pound. 
  The 
  new 
  house 
  is 
  built 
  by 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  men, 
  relatives 
  for 
  the 
  

   most 
  part, 
  working 
  in 
  aine 
  (see 
  p. 
  419) 
  or 
  being 
  compensated 
  by 
  a 
  

   daily 
  wage 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  40 
  centavos. 
  The 
  first 
  operation 
  is 
  laying 
  the 
  

   foundations. 
  Holes 
  are 
  dug 
  and 
  foundation 
  stones 
  are 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  

   hillsides. 
  Before 
  inserting 
  the 
  corner 
  stones, 
  a 
  sacrifice 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  

   to 
  the 
  earth 
  mother 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  coca 
  leaves, 
  liquor, 
  and 
  chicha. 
  The 
  

   coca 
  leaves 
  are 
  concealed 
  under 
  the 
  four 
  foundation 
  corner 
  stones; 
  

   chicha 
  and 
  liquor 
  are 
  spilled 
  over 
  the 
  building 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  owner 
  

   kisses 
  the 
  earth. 
  Then 
  the 
  stones 
  are 
  piled, 
  the 
  larger 
  ones 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom, 
  smaller 
  stones 
  next, 
  and 
  above, 
  the 
  adobes. 
  A 
  second 
  work 
  

   group 
  takes 
  charge 
  of 
  obtaining 
  the 
  sod 
  and 
  preparing 
  the 
  adobes. 
  An 
  

   expert 
  is 
  sought 
  to 
  lay 
  the 
  blocks. 
  The 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  Kauri 
  

   one-room 
  house, 
  about 
  15 
  feet 
  by 
  35 
  feet 
  (4 
  m. 
  by 
  10 
  m.), 
  takes 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  months 
  to 
  complete. 
  The 
  work 
  proceeds 
  slowly. 
  A 
  week 
  is 
  

   spent 
  collecting 
  stones. 
  Three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  are 
  spent 
  in 
  making 
  

   the 
  adobes, 
  which 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  dry 
  during 
  another 
  20 
  days. 
  Several 
  

   more 
  days 
  are 
  needed 
  for 
  the 
  thatching. 
  In 
  the 
  meantime, 
  work 
  

   must 
  be 
  interrupted 
  by 
  the 
  common 
  necessity 
  of 
  carrying 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  